A Simple Pokemon Movie: Stairway to Heaven
by slybill
Summary: The Setting: A Misshapen Paradise. The Theme: Perfection. When an old nightmare returns, a princess must team up with three strange visitors to solve a murder mystery, uncover dark secrets and stop a force capable of rearranging the world. As its a movie spin-off of A Simple Pokemon Story, it is highly advised that the canon be read before diving in.
1. Burned Memories

Author's Corner.

Awesome: This is it! The long awaited movie that we've all been waiting for!

Slybill: I am sooo winning that award for Budding Author of the Year.

LP: Oscar! Where's ma oscar for Best Main Character?!

Luca: Um...Mr LP, you weren't slated to participate in this movie.

LP: ...huh...?

White: Scarly! That guy with the hairdo is dressed like a Team Plasma grunt.

Scarlet: Actually White, we're-

White: Go Emboar! Use Arm Thrust!

LP: And I'm blasting off again!

Scarlet: -supposed to wear costumes for the award ceremony. Hey...where'd he go?

Draco: SSHH! The movie's about to start!

Burgh: The stage is set! The lights dimming ever so slightly as our weeks and weeks of hard labour finally unravel like a Beautifly from its cocoon. I...I...I FEEL INSPIRED TO-

Everyone: **SHUT THE FUCK UP!**

DISCLAIMER: IT'S A LITTLE UNFORTUNATE BUT SLYBILL DOESN'T OWN POKEMON. CREDIT FOR THAT GOES TO SATOSHI TAJIRI AND NINTENDO. HOWEVER, THE FOLLOWING MOVIE AND THIS LONG-ASS DISCLAIMER BELONG TO US SO SIT BACK, RELAX AND ENJOY THE FREAKING MOVIE!

* * *

**I**

The Pokémon World.

An imaginary land filled to the brim with adventure and promise and, of course, Pokémon. High in the skies, deep in the seas and overflowing throughout the land, these wonderful creatures just radiate with power and potential, some stunning, some dangerous but above all else, simply magical. But what makes these creatures so mystifying? That's a mystery that we'll have to find out -

"HEY! Are you even listening?"

With a yelp, Nella snapped out of her usual daydreaming and blinked at the waving palm before her pale blue eyes. Giving a nervous laugh, she faced the window beside her, admiring the Oil Palms and Rawst trees littering the sandy landscape and effectively dodging her older brother's glare.

"Nella," he sighed, cupping the seven year old's roundish face and turning it towards him. "At least pretend to pay attention."

Nella pouted. "But Celikk, I don't wanna miss the Flygon Lifting."

"There's still three hours left before the ceremony," he stated, squinting at the sun's position in the sky. "Besides, it's mandatory that -"

"-the shrine maiden must know the opening and ending verses needed to summon the Genie-Pokémon of the West," she cut-in, prying her face from Celikk's long fingers. "It's okay Brother. I know it like the back of my hand."

She raised her left arm for emphasis before raising an eyebrow at the oddly-shaped _henna*_ stretching across her forearm and stopping dead centre on the skin below her knuckles.

"That's new," she remarked and giggled at the teen's exasperation. "Kidding! Can we play outside now?"

Celikk threw his hands in the air and gave an exasperated sigh. "Landorus help us should you mess up the ceremony. Fine, take Bu and stroll through the city but make sure-"

"To come back an hour after sunset," Nella butted in again and threw her scarf on. "Got it brother. C'mon Bu!"

Bu, her pet Trapinch, reared his big, orange head and yawned before lumbering towards the child as she opened the wooden door and ran past the palace guards. Stopping at the large stone gates, she whistled and the two Conkeldurr gatekeepers turned the heavy wheels that rested on each side of the Arabian-designed walls. With a low rumble, the gates lifted high enough for the girl and her pokémon to run underneath and through the long, stone walkway lined on both sides with Sitrus trees. Before long, they reached the end and ran right into the crowded and sandy street. Arjrabal was particularly hot that afternoon and Nella wiped her brows as she darted through the arab-looking commuters and several Sandile, Drilbur and the occasional Boufallant at the butcher's.

As one should've guessed by now, Arjrabal was a somewhat ancient-looking city resembling an Arabian scene with its marble structures and onion bulbed roofs. Palm trees dotted every street and sitting dead centre of the city was its marble palace with golden roofs and intricately structured walls and pane-less windows. Despite being situated in a dry desert, Arjrabal thrived and grew in population and splendour as people and pokemon worked together to till the land, dig deep wells and provide irrigation for their crops. There was also the occasional rainfall that washed over the desert, bringing more water to the city whose inhabitants would promptly store it all in giant cans and drums. Some time later, a huge spring was discovered and the citizens thanked their stars for their good fortune. In short, Arjrabal was paradise now and Nella was happy to play around its parks and streets with Bu. From her cheery demeanour, no one would've guessed that she and her older brother, Celikk, had recently lost their father, the Sultan, to a terminal illness and now had to stay under the care of an Uncle who took over immediately after her old man's burial. But the innocent little girl didn't mind. Her childless uncle kept them there as his own and treated her like his own non-existent daughter.

And that was why she gladly took up the mantle of Shrine Maiden of the Kami Trio (a fictional trio of Genie Pokémon with full reign over Land, Wind and Lightning) for not only was it traditional for the princess to do it but also to please the new sultan and thank him for all his kindness. And tonight would be the Grand Celebratory Harvest Festival, the night when the trio where said to appear as the Shrine Maiden offered thanks to them at the Abundant Shrine for their supposed contribution to the vegetative prosperity of Arjrabal.

"Hurry Bu! The Flygon Lifting is about to start!" Nella called as soon as the sky turned orange. Her Trapinch bobbed his big head before rushing after her. Oh yeah, the Flygon Lifting was a rarely seen event that always preceded the festival as it involved watching the wild Vibrava gather together, singing, dancing and finally evolving into the majestic desert spirits known as Flygon after which they ascend into the sunset and disappear altogether. But not before giving off bright blue and red Dragon Breaths into the sky, causing a beautiful Aurora borealis to spread like curtains across the sky. People always believed that anyone who saw this event would be forever blessed by the heavens with happiness and good fortune and so, on that fine evening, Nella and Bu skipped outside the city's gates and into the giant sand dunes littering the cool landscape, eagerly expecting the breath taking sight. Nella could only remember a similar occasion back when she was very young and her father had taken them both to see the event. The memory was blurry but one thing clicked in the young girl's mind as her father had given some philosophical meanings to the lifting.

* * *

"It's akin to a new beginning, children," he had said while fondling with the girl's deep orange hair. "Showing that someday, we too shall be lifted from this world and will rise through the awaiting sky and into a new world where your mother will be waiting."

"Like a stairway to heaven," Celikk had remarked and smiled as the sultan ruffled his black hair.

"Yes, Celikk," he had replied and turned to watch the Flygon disappear "Like a stairway to heaven."

* * *

"This is it, Bu!" Nella whispered as they watched the Vibrava from behind the sand dunes. "Your brothers and sisters are gonna do the ceremony now."

True to her word, the dragon pokémon began to sing and dance around each other while lifting slowly into the air. Nella and Bu held their breath in excitement at the start of the lifting and anticipated the beautiful things to follow.

But the lifting never came.

**BOOM!**

The little redhead blinked in confusion as the Vibrava stopped their dancing and dispersed, chirping loudly in fright. Seconds later, another explosion rocked both Nella and Bu off their feet and they both looked back to see smoke rising from the city they had just left behind. Eyes widening in fright, she scooped Bu up in her arms before scrambling back through the city gates. What she saw made her legs buckle in fear as fire razed the buildings and trees, destroying all in its path._ Arjrabal is burning?!_ her little mind screamed. _Brother!_

Running as fast as her little legs could go, Nella zig-zagged through the running and screaming crowd, ignoring the gradually uncomfortable rise in heat. Zipping through the burning streets, she finally reached the blazing palace and would've rushed into it if not for the sudden collapse of the gates, leaving burning debris in its wake and hence blocking her path.

"Bu, Mud Shot!" she called, thinking fast. Bu nodded before leaping from her arms and firing a long stream of mud into the debris. Not only was it strong enough to put out the flames, but it was also enough to blow the charred debris away leaving a clear path for them to follow. "Thanks Bu!"

The duo ran straight through the walkway before pushing open the wooden doors and stumbling into the smoky lounge.

"Brother!" Nella called anxiously before coughing from the noxious fumes. "Uncle Salim!"

Another low rumble shook the girl up and she jumped as a sharp cry sliced through the atmosphere. Recognizing the voice that followed after, Nella rushed into her brother's study and froze as she caught sight of Celikk's Zoroark slamming into a bookcase. Looking in the direction of where it came from, she screamed as she saw a large, blue, hunchbacked, reptilian creature with medium-sized wings shaped like thistle leaves. In its long, clawed arms, it held Celikk roughly by the throat and it was all the little girl could do not to scream as blood erupted from his mouth.

"Listen to yourself! How can you possibly think of doing such a thing?!" he exclaimed, voice straining a little. From her angle, Nella couldn't make out the owner of the Druddigon and his voice was a little muffled due to the roaring flames and the sound of her heart hammering against her chest.

"Sounds preposterous, doesn't it?" came the reply and Druddigon raised a claw. "But thanks to this notebook of yours, I can finally achieve this dream of mine and become a god!"

Nella had had enough. "Bu, Mud Shot!"

Big Mistake. Druddigon didn't so much as flinch when its red face got smacked with the stream of mud. Dropping Celikk, it roared, bowled Bu over and grabbed Nella who in turn screamed and kicked at its rough grip.

"Ohoho, what do we have here?" its owner sneered as Druddigon slammed her against the wall. The flames intensity had long since skyrocketted and Nella felt the heat tear through the skin on her back. "Perfect timing. Now I can wipe you two out and the throne shall forever be mine!"

Druddigon licked its muzzle and opened wide, ready to devour the terrified girl whole.

"Nella!" Celikk cried, taking a sword from the wall and driving it into the pokemon's spine, eliciting an angry roar from it and a hiss from its master. Before Druddigon could react further, Zoroark leapt unto its head and rained several Shadow Claws into its skull making it roar again and trash about in an effort to throw the Illusion Fox off. Celikk grabbed his sister from its arms and rushed out of the study.

"Brother! Your neck," she gasped as the marks from Druddigon's grip began to bleed.

"I'm fine," he blurted and tripped against a fallen seat. Shifting himself, he landed on his back so as not to hurt his sister and hissed in pain.

"Brother!" Nella cried, tears falling from her eyes. Celikk got to his hands and knees before hacking up blood again.

"Curses..." he groaned, clasping his neck. "Listen Nella. You've got to get out of here and fast!" Bu popped up from underneath the floors holding a book in his jaws. "Take this. It's the original copy of my research. Hide it where no one can ever find it, understand?"

"But brother-" she protested but stopped as he shoved the book in her tiny arms and drew her into a hug.

"I've lived each day knowing it could've been my last ever since I wrote that book. I just hope the same doesn't go for you too now that it is in your possession." He kissed her forehead thrice and got up slowly. "_Ana baħibbik*," _he whispered and Nella's eyes widened again as a veiled figure loomed behind the eighteen year old and drew a curved blade. "Live. Nella."

Nella screamed as the blade sank into Celikk's back and grew faint as his blood splashed against the heated tiles and stained her cheeks. With the last of his strength, the young man grabbed his attacker and tackled him to the ground. Zoroark burst through the feeble walls and scooped Bu and Trapinch unto its back before giving Celikk a last glance.

"GO!" he yelled and screamed as the blade went in and out of his groin.

Zoroark nodded and darted through the smoke and flames with Nella, dizzy and nauseous from the fumes and blood, lying limply against its furry back. With a roar, it smashed through a window and landed in the courtyard before taking off towards the city gates.

"Brother..." she moaned as darkness clouded her vision. Immediately after, the palace exploded and Arjrabal burned to the ground.

Nella's once beautiful paradise was ruined. Oblivion was slowly looming over her. And the Vibrava were never seen again.

Arjrabal had missed the stairway to heaven.

* * *

**A SIMPLE POKéMON MOVIE:**

_STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN_

* * *

Author's Corner.

Slybill: Yeah you got me. Inspired by Dubai and all but I hope it sounds original.

White: BTW, A_na baħibbik _means "I love you" in Egyptian Arabic. Also, a _henna_ refers to a type of tattoo inked with the juices from a henna plant. Expect some more foreign words in the next chapters!


	2. Visitors from the Far East Suite

**II**

_Ten years later..._

The sandy landscape was quiet that bright afternoon with only the howling winds whistling and carrying small waves of sand into the air, making them dance to and fro in the afternoon sun. Several Darumaka played among themselves with their Darmanitan parents watching over them from a distance. Unknown to the fire-type pokémon, a mechanical monster in the form of a light-cycle zipped through the dusty air, heading straight for them.

Whirr...

The Darmanitan twitched as their ears caught the faint, alien roar of wheels against sand.

WHirrr...

It was drawing closer and closer and the pokémon tensed, ready to fight off the unknown and fast approaching intruder.

WHIRRR!

The noise was close now and the Darmanitan drew in deep breaths, charging up devastating Fire Spins for the monster. However-

"YAAAAHOOOOO!" **BAM!**

Every single Darmanitan was knocked flying by the white, black and yellow blur that flew through the air so fast, the very dust they left behind crackled with flames and electricity. Rubber burned, Darumaka scurried and the futuristic vehicle of pure awesomeness sliced through the horizon with its now-bickering passengers engaged in a furious argument.

"You said this was a shortcut!" the driver, a lithe but undoubtedly strong-looking boy with raven-black hair, yelled for the third time.

"It is!" his busty, snow-haired, female passenger shot back defiantly. "It says so on the map!"

The ravenette's mouth fell open and his yellow, dog-like pokémon rolled its black eyes in exasperation.

"You read a map, White?!"

"Of course I did, Scarlet. How else d'you think we got here," White remarked before giving a puzzled glance at her sandy surroundings. "Although I can't remember seeing a desert along the way..."

Pokémon hunter Scarlet stopped the bike and turned to face the ditzy trainer.

"White," he began cautiously. "Where is this so-called map of yours?"

White riffled through her pink satchel bag and, with a triumphant smile, pulled out a crumpled paper. Grabbing it, the hunter opened up the paper and scanned its contents before sweatdropping heavily.

"White, this isn't even a Unovan Map..." He turned the paper to her and pointed to the part inscribed with the words **HOENN** on it in big, green letters. The airhead squinted at the words before gulping nervously as her coach's body literally radiated annoyance.

"Are you going to punish me, Scarly...?" she stuttered before giving a shaky laugh. "I mean, it's not like I could've seen it anyway...right?"

Scarlet flexed his fingers before grabbing her nose and giving it a twist, eliciting a squeal from the trainer. "It's punishment time, ditz!"

Now for those of you who don't know, Pokémon Hunter Scarlet is currently on a mission to capture the Legendary Vast White Pokémon, Reshiram, a mission that should take approximately nine months. Our hunting prodigy plans to do it under three though as he doesn't have the time to waste and he desperately needs to touch that 49.5 Million Pokédollar reward. By some coincidental twist of fate, he and his partner pokémon, Jolteon, have paired up with an ignorant, ditzy, airheaded trainer named White (pale skinned, snowy-haired and can NEVER tell a lie) who claims to know where this mythical beast lay. Donning the position of training coach to the girl(training a trainer to train pokémon, am I the only one who finds this amusing?), Scarlet would later go on to guide the innocent girl towards becoming the strongest trainer in Unova in exchange for ANY lead on the supposedly non-existent dragon. Along the way, they've met many...um...interesting people, encountered several unique (and freaky) pokémon and have experienced trials, tribulations, awkward moments and even fluffy moments that'd make a fangirl grin. But through it all, they've plowed and conquered gyms and bad guys all the way while continuing on their somewhat whimsical journey through the Unova Region.

And this just happened to be one of such not-so-rare moments when Scarlet once again felt like ripping White in two as she rubbed her red nose and stared at the map in confusion.

"So...what're we gonna do Scarly?" she asked, nervous at the prospects of getting lost. "Doesn't your cube-thing have a...um...what's was that word..."

"GPS?" he cut in and sighed as he checked the meter. "It would've worked, if someone hadn't electrocuted my cube when I tried to make him take a bath."

Jolteon growled before huffing and turning his black nose in the air.

_Cheeky fuzzball,_ the ravenette inwardly hissed and squinted at the sun's intense rays while considering his options. He could go back. Yeah...right. He could convert his bike to compass mode and walk. As if. Who'd walk in this expansive nowhere? And judging by the hoarseness of his passenger's voice, he knew what was coming next.

"I'm thirsty!" White cried and Scarlet ground his teeth.

"You had water just some minutes ago. What happened to your water bottle?" he asked and was met with silence._ Don't tell me-!_ "You left it back at the PC, didn't you?"

Wait a minute! Whose water had she been guzzling all this time?!

"Sorry. Forgot to mention that I finished yours," she said, rubbing the back of her head while throwing that goofy laugh of hers at his look of horror. "Don't worry, Ginger! We could always ask for directions."

Was this girl for real?!

"Directions..." Scarlet muttered before giving a shaky laugh. "Yeah! Directions! I know, why don't we ask that guy?"

White looked in the direction of his shaky finger and cringed at the skeleton lying a little ways away from the bike. "Oh my..."

Jolteon scrunched up his eyebrows(where?!) in thought and a light bulb blinked. Hopping out of his carrier, the Lightning Pokémon snatched White's bag before sticking his yellow head in and pulling out a Pokéball.

Scarlet stared at the item for a moment before his brain clicked.

"That's it!" he declared, ruffling Jolteon's head in gratitude.

"I don't get it..." White mumbled and yelped again as Scarlet pinched her nose again.

"We're flying, duh!" he replied before explaining his plan. Amber eyes twinkling in realisation and relief, the trainer grabbed the red and white sphere.

"Emboar, you're up!" she exclaimed, dramatically flinging the pokéball into the air. A brilliant blue light erupted from the device and her Mega Fire Pig Pokémon stood before them. With a nod from White, Scarlet tapped the light-cycle twice before stepping back as it groaned and glowed before shrinking and deconstructing itself into a series of tiny cubes which melded together again to form a pair of gloves. Slipping them on, the hunter put a hand to Emboar's belly and watched as the gloves took on a reddish-brown hue.

"Ready!" he said, taking his hand away. White nodded again before returning her pokémon to her pokéball.

"Ready!" she said and gently lifted Jolteon before putting him into her bag. Climbing unto Scarlet's back, she wrapped her long legs round his waist and gripped his shoulders securely. Breath catching at the pure weight of her chest on his back, the ravenette cracked his fingers again and thrust both hands behind him.

"Let's go!" both teens declared in unison and with a BANG, fire blew forth from Scarlet's gloves, instantly propelling them into the blue skies at rocket-like speed.

* * *

A little girl of around seven ran down the sandy streets while clutching the bag of medicine tightly to her chest. Behind her, several gruff voices and sneers echoed, making the brown hair at the base of her neck stand at how close they seemed. Just as she rounded the next bend, a shape fell from above her and landed before her with a light thud. Staring at the bipedal crocodilian pokémon in front of her, the girl recognised it as her pursuer's Krokorok and turned tail as it opened its jaws and roared at her. Huffing and puffing, she rounded more bends and passed the empty streets, paling as the voices drew closer and closer. Like magic, she found herself at a dead end between two buildings and whimpered at how high the wall before her was.

"Found you, brat!"

The brunette turned and went white at the gang members blocking any hope of escape. To make it worse, Krokorok lined the wall above her and she stepped back in fright as the gang parted to reveal a young man of 19 with a curly mass of black hair falling over his head. Beside him was a pokémon resembling the Krokorok on the wall except for its wine-coloured scales, gray underbelly and big, beady eyes seated in what looked like giant sunglasses.

"Minmi," the man rolled, his Arjrabalian accent a tad too thick. "Your old hag has a debt to pay, no?"

Minmi pressed the bag to her chest tightly and put up a defiant stare. "Grandma's not an old hag! And she'd never take stuff from smelly people like you!"

"Smelly?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow before smelling himself. "C'mon people. Do I smell?" he asked and his gang cackled.

"Granny said it's the soul that matters, not the body!" Minmi exclaimed, bolder now. "And your soul stinks!"

Almost immediately after, two Krokorok grabbed her arms and slammed her against the wall. Yelling, the girl was raised high and she stopped when the boss' grey eyes met with her brown ones.

"Little girls shouldn't say stuff like that," he growled, pulling her bangs above her face. "And grannies who don't repay their debts don't get any medicine."

Minmi gasped as he snatched the bag from her hand and dropped it onto the ground before raising his foot to smash its contents.

"Khan!"

Khan's foot froze midway and all eyes looked up to the night sky where the stern voice came from. Above the gang, a slender, green dragon-pokémon hovered in circles before coming down on the Krokorok with a powerful Dragon Tail, fainting them all in an instant. Giving a shrill cry, the Flygon landed on the dusty ground before Minmi, throwing up sand as he flapped his wings. The pokémon eyed Khan menacingly before lowering his long neck, showing a beautiful girl of sixteen sitting on his broad back. Deep orange hair dancing in the wind, the girl stepped down from her pokémon and walked up to Khan, keeping her baby blue eyes on the bag near his foot.

As she walked, low words like "The princess..." and "what is the shrine maiden doing in our slums?" flitted through the deathly silent air. As if unaware of the glare she received from Khan, she bent to pick the item before walking back to the grateful child.

"Here," she said, dropping the bag into Minmi's arms. "Hurry and give this to granny. It wouldn't be nice if you let some idiot smash what I gave you."

Minmi smiled in relief and hugged the older girl. "Thank you, Nella!"

After pulling a rude face at Khan, the little one left and scurried away into the night.

"And remember not to go on empty streets alone okay?" Nella called, waving at the retreating figure. Her smile, however, turned upside-down as soon as Minmi was out of sight and with a spin, she slapped the gang-leader across the face.

"What the hell where you doing, Khan?!" she yelled as he slowly put a hand to his bruised cheek.

"What're you doing out of the palace, Princess?" he asked calmly, keeping his eyes away from her angry glare. "You know better than I that someone as high and mighty such as yourself shouldn't be in these slums."

Nella's eye twitched and she put her hands on her hips. "Don't answer my question with a question, dammit. And I told you to drop the princess thing. Or is it wrong for me to check on my people."

"Your people?" he snapped, grabbing her shoulders and making Flygon appear behind him with a claw raised high.

"Stand down, Bu!" the redhead barked and Bu hesitated. "Please," she added in a gentler tone. The dragon paused before slowly putting his arms down.

"Nella, those foreigners are the very reason Arjrabal fell in the first place," Khan continued in a much lower tone. "And that is why it is my job to keep them in line."

"I don't call bullying children keeping them in line," she chipped in. "Or was that a personal whim of yours?"

"She was out after curfew," he began.

"To get medicine for her grandmother!" Nella cut in sharply, making the gang flinch from her tone. "You were better than this, Khan. What happened to you?"

"..." The dark-haired man withdrew his hands from her shoulders and shoved them deep into his pockets. "It's late. Go back to the palace, your Highness, before the Sultan worries any further."

"Khan," Nella mumbled as he and Krookodile walked away. His gang left along with him and the redhead stared after her childhood friend before looking down as hot tears rolled down her cheeks. "Since when did things get so tense between us...?"

Arjrabal should have been better than this. With the help of her uncle and several city portraits, Nella had been able to restore the city to the way it was ten years ago before the fire but even so, it wasn't the paradise it used to be. But the city is exactly the way it was! Yet why? Why weren't children playing around the streets safely? Why were pokémon being made to undertake in violent activities in a city where such things never existed ten years ago? And why hadn't the Vibrava come back yet?

* * *

_"It's those outsiders!" a younger Khan had growled, tightening the fist on his broken arm as he visited the then 7 year old in her ward located in the remains of their health facility. "After one of them attacked our city, several more took our stuff and destroyed the temple!"_

_Nella had been in too much shock then to answer him._

* * *

_"You're making a big mistake!" one man shouted as the Sultan had passed a bill allowing the nomadic tribes into their city._

_"Arjrabal was supposed to be our sacred paradise, untouched and unspoiled by time and the outside world!" another person yelled._

_"They'll adapt," Nella whispered, giving her uncle's hand a gentle squeeze. Khan simply stood beside her in shocked silence._

* * *

_"Councilman Aleph said I could join the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," 15 year old Khan spoke up as he and Nella watched their Krokorok and Vibrava play in the gardens. "That way, I'll make sure those scum never try something like burning Arjrabal again-"_

_"They're not scum!" Nella snapped, cutting him off with her angry glare. "Just because a rumour claimed it was a foreigner doesn't mean they all should suffer!"_

_"Nella..."_

_The redhead raised an arm to the door. "And if you feel like being a bully then I don't see why we should continue being friends!"_

* * *

Bu licked the tears cascading from Nella's blue eyes and she gratefully petted his cheeks with a smile.

"Thanks Bu. I needed that."

Truth be told, Bu always worried for the girl ever since her brother initially passed away and he felt it was his duty to preserve whatever little happiness she still had left especially with all the emotional stress she had been going through recently. He couldn't blame her for gathering all that stress though as her outgoing and friendly nature often found her socialising with the slum-dwellers while fending off Khan and his undercover task force/ gang from harassing the foreigners. Then there were the try-too-hard advisers her uncle had recently appointed that watched Nella's every step in an effort to train her into becoming the epitome of perfection. Speaking of which, Bu just remembered that their hides would get busted if one such adviser didn't find them in their room tonight.

"Whoa, Uncle's going to be mad if he knows I snuck out again!" the redhead exclaimed and dusted her grey, woollen mini. "C'mon Bu. Let's go home." she said, hopping on her pokémon's back. Unknown to the duo, a dark shape darted down the street and clambered up a wall before pausing on the roof directly above Nella.

Just as Bu lifted off, a blue ball of light flew in from nowhere and got him in the side, making both princess and pokémon fall back to the ground.

"What was that?!" Nella exclaimed sharply before looking towards Bu. The latter got up shakily and winced at the reddening side before looking around for their attacker. They didn't expect a red-faced gargoyle that loomed in behind them, scaly blue arms raised as if ready to grab them. Bu noticed just in time though and pulled Nella away from the beast's deadly swipe.

The clouds covering the moon parted to reveal their attacker in the moonlight and the redhead's eyes shrank in recognition and horror at the dragon-pokémon before them.

"Druddigon!" it roared and charged straight for Nella, arms poised to grab her again. However, Bu brought his tail down on the enemy and, with a command to use Hyper Beam, opened his small mouth to charge the strong attack.

Druddigon countered with a quick Focus Blast before Bu could fire and smirked as the smaller dragon-pokémon winced when the ball collided with his belly.

"Bu!" Nella cried as he struggled to get up. This pokémon seemed to be well-trained in rushing its opponents as it engaged her Flygon in close combat, something a Flygon isn't too good at when pitted against a semi-rabid Druddigon. Before Nella knew it, Bu was felled from a Superpower to the neck and he groaned weakly as the opponent leered at his owner.

Nella herself stepped back as the pokémon took a swing at her again. She was a tad unsteady however and as such, she fell against the stone pavement before rolling away as Druddigon nearly brought a foot crashing down on her. The redhead quickly got to her feet and scanned her surroundings before deciding on a quick, and hopefully reliable, course of action. Darting past Druddigon, she soon found herself facing another wall and turned to see the sneering pokémon drawing close to her. With a roar, it charged a Mega Punch in its left fist and ran towards her, ready to smash her head in. Smirking, Nella ducked and Druddigon's fist collided with the wall, lodging itself deep into the ceramic material. Wait, Ceramic?!

"Bye!" Nella jeered with a wave as the wall cracked and water spewed from the hole Druddigon's fist made, hitting the dragon like a cannon ball and sending miles away into the sky. "Lucky we built an extra water tank here," she remarked, before rushing up to her own pokémon. Startled by the wounds on his frame, Nella looked around to make sure the streets were clear before placing both hands on Bu's flank.

"It's okay Bu," she whispered soothingly and closed her eyes. "You'll be healed soon."

Almost immediately after, the markings on her arm began to glow a soft green and like magic, Bu's wounds started to close up and all his bruises disappeared. The pokémon chirped, feeling energy pour back into his veins.

"Almost done Bu," his owner stated. "Just a few more internal injuries to heal."

"So this is the power of a shrine maiden."

Blue eyes flying open, Nella was just about turning when a hand grabbed her shoulder and slammed her against the wall. Yelping from the impact on her back, the redhead caught a glimpse of her attacker and her chest tightened at the recognisable black veil covering the man's face. With sharp movements, Nella drew a short dagger from the side of her thigh-high boots and sank it into his shoulder before darting past him and towards her slowly rising Flygon. Unfortunately, the veiled man caught her by the hair and drew her back before dodging another swing from her other freshly-drawn dagger. Pulling out the one in his shoulder, he parried another blow and grabbed her dagger arm before pushing her against the wall again and pinning her sleeve to it with the blade. Before she could free herself, her other dagger was wrenched out of her grip and used to pin her free arm to the wall by the sleeve.

"Nice moves, Princess," the man stated and she shuddered at the dangerous tone in his voice. "You've grown a lot prettier since we last met."

Bu roared and was about flying over to help his owner when Druddigon came down on his back, pinning him to the ground with its massive weight.

"What do you want with me?" Nella growled, putting up a defiant expression.

"You know exactly what I want, Princess."

Nella glared at him and turned her head to the side with a huff.

"Defiant, aren't we?" her attacker mocked, turning her head back to meet him. "Although I know that you're actually scared deep down."

The girl chewed her lip before rapidly tapping her heels twice on the ground. A small blade projected through the sole of her boot and she gave the man a sharp kick in the shin, drawing blood as the blade went into his leg. However, she was surprised to see zero-reaction from him despite how deep the wound was.

"Sorry to disappoint but I'm not your average human," he sneered, stepping hard on her foot and breaking the blade underneath. "Now if you'd be so kind as to tell me where the book is."

"I'd rather lose my eye, murderer," she spat out acidly though she bit back the words as a chuckle escaped from the man's covered lips.

"So be it," he stated, drawing a blade of his own and pointing it straight at her face. "I always liked the colour blue anyway."

Bu struggled under Druddigon's bulk and the latter sneered as its master brought the sword's tip closer to Nella's widening eyes.

"I'd start talking if I were you," the man growled.

"Burn in hell," Nella muttered harshly and steeled herself for the incoming pain. _Wonder what colour my eyepatch should be..._

Just as the blade's gleaming tip was about sinking into her face, a sharp scream sliced the night air like a knife and both the humans and their pokémon looked skyward to see a shape whizzing through the sky with smoke billowing from its sides, making it look like a crashing plane. Nella stared at it for a second before realising that the shape was coming down fast...and towards them.

"WAAAAAAATCH OUUUUUT!" the shape screamed in dual tones and the veiled man simply shifted to the right, avoiding collision with the unidentified flying object which whizzed past him and crashed into Druddigon sending it off Bu and into a building down the street. Reeling back from the collision with the dragon-pokémon, the shape came flying back past Nella before landing on the ground face-first, leaving smoke, stones and sand in its path. After a second, the smoke cleared and Nella made out the shapes of two young people lying on the ground with one, the girl, lying on top of the other, the guy. Slowly, the raven-haired boy pushed off the girl and with a groan, rubbed his bright-red nose.

"Don't tap my gloves while I'm flying, ditz," he mumbled between hisses as it throbbed painfully.

"Sorry, sorry," the white-haired girl laughed with a goofy grin on her face. "I didn't know that that would turn it off. But it was fun though." On cue, her satchel-bag moved and flopped open before a yellow, dog-like pokémon crawled out with a six-inch bump on his furry head. From the way his black eyes narrowed and sparks crackled from his spiky fur, he was definitely pissed at the failed landing.

"W-wait Jolteon, it was the ditz!" the ravenette blurted nervously, knowing what was coming.

"Ditz? Where?" the white-haired girl asked looking around ignorantly.

**_KKKRAAKLE-_ZAP_!_**

The area went yellow as Jolteon shocked the stuffing out of the two humans and despite her position, Nella chuckled at the hilarious scene as the boy and the girl danced around wildly from the electricity surging through them. After a comical minute, the onslaught subsided and the teens clattered to the ground with singed clothes, swirled eyes and super-charged afros.

"49.5 million..." the ravenette chanted goofily while the girl simply moaned. They instantly snapped out of their dizzy phase and sat up quickly before taking a look at their surroundings.

"White..." the ravenette said as his eyes came to rest on the veiled man and his captive.

"Scarlet, does that look like..." the white-haired girl stated as she took in the scene. A girl pinned to a wall by her hands and a weirdly-dressed man looming in front of her with his hands on her face. For reasons best known to the newcomers, the girl's clothes were slightly ripped and her skirt rode up a little in the position she was in...which to a modern-person's eyes meant one thing.

"RAPE!" the teens cried.

"EH?!" Nella exclaimed.

"Druddigon, Superower!" the veiled man suddenly ordered and Druddigon reared up behind the two with its fists raised high, ready to smash the intruders to pulp. Its attack was stopped though as the still-pissed Jolteon found something else to blow off steam and with a bark, the lightning pokémon sent the last of his pent-up energy into the dragon.

"Hey Scarlet, let's help!" White called, whipping out a pokéball.

"What a bother," Scarlet replied, tugging on his gloves. "I'm only doing this cos he attacked us first."

"Go, Scraggy!" the trainer exclaimed as Druddigon shook off the volts and charged at them. In a bright flash, her orange, dark/fighting lizard-pokémon appeared before her and got into his fighting stance. As Druddigon opened his jaws to snap at them, Scarlet's fist collided with its chin and sent it upwards.

"Hi Jump Kick!" White ordered and Scraggy leapt into the air before bringing his knee into the dragon's head, crashing it back into the ground with a loud bang. Druddigon growled a little as it staggered to its feet before bringing its hands together and forming a Focus Blast.

"Aura Sphere and then Close Combat!" White called and her pokémon complied, forming a smaller ball of his own and launching it at their opponent. Both attacks jammed together, causing a dusty explosion that rocked the entire street off its feet. Coughing, Druddigon stepped out of the smoke...and screamed as Scraggy's small fist socked its snout. Without giving it a chance to recover, the Shedding Pokémon sent his knee into its gut, roundhouse-kicked its head and grabbed its arm before flipping it over his tiny shoulders with strength from nowhere.

"Pests!" the veiled man spat out and turned to face Nella. "The book or I'll-!"

CLANG!

Scarlet's purple-gloved fist jammed against the man's blade, breaking it in half like a toothpick.

"Oi!" he growled, giving his troll-face. "Stop giving us guys a bad name, rapist."

"You are sorely mistaken," the man replied and drew a sword from under his cloak. "I am in the middle of something, outsider, and I suggest you leave if you wish not to be-"

CRACK!

"Skewered?" Scarlet asked, holding the broken end of the blade. "Not happening."

The attacker eyed Scarlet's gloves before dropping the blade. "Interesting, you seem to possess quite a unique weapon."

"Thank you. Still got a few kinks to work out," he replied before zooming up to the man and trying an uppercut. Surprisingly, his opponent dodged the attack and drew another blade before swiping at Scarlet's side. Bringing his arm up, the ravenette blocked the blow, smirking as the blade did nothing to his skin.

"Amazing..." Nella whispered as the two engaged in a quick series of sharp and fluid blows, swipes and parries.

"I'm surprised a guy like you can keep up with me," the man remarked, taking a stab at Scarlet's chest.

"Same for you, rapist. But please," Scarlet began, letting the sword hit his skin, and break on contact. "You'd need a Wailord harpoon to hit me."

"Then what about this!" the man yelled and the ground cracked beneath Scarlet's feet. Thinking quickly, our hunter jumped high into the air and just in time too as another Druddigon burst through the pavement.

"Missed!" Scarlet jeered but bit back the words as a wire wrapped round his foot and pulled him down to the ground with a heavy slam. Gasping at the intense electricity that came afterwards, the ravenette caught sight of the Druddigon holding the wire and glowing bright yellow. Charge Beam?! And knowing that the user gains a boost in Special Attack stats, Scarlet knew the next shock might be lethal.

"Jolteon, Double Kick!"

Jolteon gladly sent his feet into the dragon's head, making it let go of the thin wire and thus freeing his master. Scrambling to his feet, Scarlet looked around quickly and spotted the veiled man heading back to Nella.

"Get back here, rapist!" he called, kicking forward and slide-tackling him. Getting on top of the man, Scarlet wrenched the suddenly-drawn dagger from his arms and pinned him down. "Why d'you wanna do this girl so badly. I mean she's hot and all but is she really worth it?"

"Hey!" Nella snapped, not knowing whether to feel relieved or insulted.

"Again you are very mistaken," the veiled man replied, struggling slightly before giving up. Triumphantly, Scarlet grinned at Nella and faced White who gave a thumbs-up as Scraggy stood atop the fallen Druddigon. Jolteon was just about done with the other, happy that he had found a suitable situation to vent.

"Are you okay?" White asked, pulling the daggers that were pinning Nella to the wall. Nodding, the redhead walked up to the veiled man.

"Whatever you're planning seems to have been foiled. All we need now is to see what's behind that veil of yours."

"A face. That should be obvious," he replied nonchalantly. Slowly, Nella stretched a hand out and grasped the hem of his veil. She would have pulled it up when a chuckle escaped from underneath it. Soon, the chuckle grew into a giggle before erupting into a classic bad-guy laugh.

"What's so funny...?" White asked, tilting her head in confusion. Before Scarlet could comprehend what was up with the man, his senses rattled and he threw a hand out at Nella.

"Don't touch him!" he barked. "He-!"

Scarlet couldn't finish his statement as his captive used his free arm to pull out a fist-sized orb from his cloak...and jam it into Scarlet's chest. Immediately, the orb glowed blue and the ravenette screamed as bolt-like energy surged through his frame, making his body tremble violently. The pain was sharp, like being stabbed by a hundred Scyther but what came after seemed to make it pale in comparison. A giant red monster flashed through the boy's eyes and several scenes of realistic volcanic eruptions with people burning alive followed. Was it a reference to the past or a horrific premonition of things to come? All Scarlet knew was that this wasn't real. But as the molten lava reared up and washed over him like a wave, he couldn't help but feel his blood literally bubble and evaporate into red mist. Eyes rolling back, he fell atop the man who promptly pulled out the orb and got to his feet.

"Scarlet!" White cried, rushing up to the fallen hunter.

"We'll meet again, Princess!" the veiled man declared, calling his Druddigon to his side. Roaring in unison, the two dragon's billowed smoke from their jaws, enveloping the entire area.

"Oh no you don't!" Nella and White stated.

"Scraggy, Focus Blast!"

"Bu! Dragon Pulse!"

Nodding, both pokémon fired their attacks into the smoke and Jolteon added a Discharge of his own for good measure. The attacks pierced through and exploded, blowing sand and leaves around and sending a heavy wind through the street. Unfortunately, all they could see was an empty crater and Nella highly doubted that they had been blown to smithereens.

"They escaped..." White mumbled, cradling her coach's head on her laps. "I hope Scarly's okay..."

Jolteon ran to her and eyed Scarlet's still frame before delivering another large bolt into him. His master sat up with a scream before looking around quickly.

"Hey, what happened...?" he asked, blinking in confusion.

"You got your energy drained with the Blue Orb." The two turned and faced Nella who walked up to them and kneeled beside Scarlet. "That bastard probably created one using my brother's research."

"Like I care!" Scarlet growled and staggered to his feet. "Where'd that coward go?! I'll kill him!"

"Um...you should rest," Nella stated but stopped as White held up a hand.

"When Scarly gets like this, you can't really stop him."

Jolteon nodded and tapped the ground continuously. Three. Two. One.

Just as the hunter was about moving, blood spurted from his mouth comically and swirls replaced his eyes before he fell over on his back.

"Damn...rebound..." he muttered and like a beginner battling against Champion Cynthia for the first time, Scarlet whited out.

**-END OF CHAPTER II-**


	3. Another Day on Paradise

**III**

_Grand Palace, Arjrabal Central. 9:10 AM_

"Master Khan! Please wait!"

Ignoring the servant's statement, Khan continued on his mad dash to the princess' chamber, pushing past other servants and their pokémon with Krookodile following at a safe distance. Passing the Waterfall Atrium that connected the east and west wing together, he crossed the nearest stairway and hurried down the corridor until he came to the beautifully-carved, wooden doors at the end.

"Nella!" he called, slamming them open. "Are you alri-?"

His question hung in mid-air as he spotted the unknown, snow-haired girl sitting on the large bed with an unconscious ravenette's head in her laps. Only one thing registered in his mind from their looks and dressing.

"Foreigners!" he growled fiercely and Krookodile was at his side, ready to snap them in half with its large jaws. White looked up and tilted her head.

"Uh...hi," she greeted. "Don't mind us. We're just-"

"Dragon Claw!" he ordered. Claws turning bright blue, the pokémon leapt at her. Instantly, the trainer pulled out a pokéball and in nanoseconds, Emboar's fist collided with Krookodile's, sending them both back to their trainers with a small explosion.

"Hey! Why're you attacking us?" she asked, clearly confused and slightly annoyed.

"What have you done with Princess Nella?!" he snapped harshly before Krookodile began charging up for another move. "Tell me!"

"Wait! You've got it all wrong!" White exclaimed, raising her hands. "We're just-!"

"Dragon Pulse!" Khan ordered again and his pokémon let loose a big, white ball of energy.

**BOOM!**

The wall exploded and from the smoke, Emboar staggered out before falling off the balcony and landing heavily on her back on the Atrium floor with White in her arms.

"At least let me finish!" she yelled in frustration as her pokémon got to her stubby feet. The ground beneath them trembled, however, and White held on to Emboar before realising what move was going to be used.

"Emboar! Jump!" she called but was too late as Krookodile burst out from the ground and smashed its fist into the Mega Fire Pig's chin, making her reel back, dazed.

"You're probably here to spy on us anyway so I don't think I'll believe anything from you," Khan stated, jumping down from the broken corridor and landing on his feet a good distance away. "Dragon Pulse!"

_He looks mad_, White finally deduced. "If a battle's the only thing you'll understand, then fine with me!"

Emboar nodded in agreement. _Let's show these guys who's boss!_

But just before they could start charging up their moves, a groan echoed from above. Looking up, Khan was just about snapping but his vision went foggy as a piece of concrete bounced heavily off his face. Thrown by none other than the ravenette standing on the broken corridor above them.

"For fuck's sake," he groaned again, a tick mark dotting his sleepy head. "Can't a guy get some sleep around here?"

"Scarlet!" White cried in relief. "You're awake."

"How dare you!" Khan screeched, sporting a fresh nosebleed. Scarlet yawned and shot him a disinterested look.

"Hmm...who the fuck are you?" he asked. A bigger tick mark broke out across Khan's temple.

"Foreigner..." he hissed, drawing his sword.

"Foreigner?" Scarlet echoed, arching an eyebrow. "Oh great. A racist.". Krookodile reared up behind him and was just about to take a big bite of his head when Jolteon's Double Kick got its upper jaw, snapping its mouth closed and sending its head into the ground.

"Look buddy, I can play racist too so let's not start something you'll regret later," the boy stated.

Khan ground his teeth and tightened his grip on the sword."Why I oughta-"

"KHAN!"

Everyone looked to the left and saw Nella hurrying into the atrium with a roll of bandages in her arms. From the way her face contorted at the sight of the ruined section, they didn't need a Psychiatrist to know how pissed she was.

"Princess," Khan breathed in relief and lowered his blade. "Thank Arceus you're safe-"

_SLAP!_

"Ouch..." both Scarlet and White whispered, eyeing the red mark on the startled young man's cheek. Nella brought her hand back and massaged her temple.

"Just what the hell are you doing?" she asked, a hint of venom in her tone. "It's bad enough that they found out what happened last night. Even worse, you destroyed a section of my uncle's prized atrium." She put her hands on her hips and brought her angry face closer to Khan's. "Are you trying to bring this palace down?!"

Khan looked away. "I was...trying to drive out these outsiders..."

"Those people saved my life!" she cut in sharply and sighed. "Why're you always so hostile..."

Khan was about answering the rhetorical question when she raised a hand.

"Save it, Khan." Turning, she looked at the battered surroundings and sighed again. If the sultan heard what happened, Khan was definitely screwed. "I'll just have to come up with a good story for this..."

"But-"

"Khan. Please," she cut in, raising her hand to the door. "Leave."

Khan stiffened before sheathing his blade and giving the two behind him a hard look.

"I don't trust you," he spat out and pointed at Scarlet. "Mark my words. I have my eyes on you."

Scarlet was just about retorting when a short stutter cut him off. Looking back, they saw a white-haired guy hurrying towards them. Stopping at Nella's feet, he bowed, both out of respect and to catch his breath.

"P-Princess Nella," he stuttered. "I heard an explosion. Are you alright?"

"Quit worrying, Mana," she replied. "I'm okay."

Nodding, he turned to Khan. "I-I assume you started this, Khan a-and it would be wise to leave n-now...sir."

"Butt. Out. Half-breed," he hissed back, making the whitehead flinch. Khan bowed at Nella before storming off with his Krookodile, making sure to bump shoulders roughly with the newcomer. Mana stumbled a bit before regaining his balance and exhaling slowly.

"S-scary..." he muttered before turning to the other teens. "I-I am honoured to meet the ones who saved our princess!"

Scarlet arched an eyebrow at the bowing person. Truthfully, he looked each and every inch like a wimp what with his lanky, bishounen frame and big eyes. And that don't-hit-me attitude made it even worse.

"Nice to meet you too!" White replied, grabbing Mana in one of her usual Beartic-hugs that made Scarlet sweatdrop as the boy spewed blood.

"Over-casual as ever..." the ravenette deadpanned before taking a look at his surroundings. "So, who are you guys and where the hell are we?"

"I'm Nella-"

"**Princess** Nella," a servant butted in and cringed as she shot him a hard look.

"And this is my personal attendant and best friend, Mana."

Mana bowed again before yelping as Bu butted him playfully from behind and grunted at Nella in mild disdain.

"Best human friend, Bu. There's a difference," she sighed and scratched his long neck, earning a chirp from the dragon.

"What's that?" White asked, pulling out her pink and black pokedex.

_"Flygon, the Mystic Pokemon. It whips up sandstorms with powerful flaps of its wings. It is known as "The Desert Spirit,"" _the device beeped in its lady-like voice.

"Cool," she cooed and looked up to see the servants crowding round her with puzzled expressions on their brown faces. "Uh...what?"

"What's that...?" one of them asked.

"You mean you've never seen a Pokedex before?" the trainer mumbled and flipped it open again. "It's a device that calls up info on pokemon you meet. It's really valuable to a trainer."

"Says the girl who tried to charge it with Jolteon's fur," Scarlet deadpanned again and eyed the female servants looking at him. With a tick mark forming, he put up his sadist face. "See something you like?"

Squealing, they dispersed and Scarlet turned to Nella, doing his best to ignore the oohs and aahs from the crowd around White.

"So, you were saying?" he asked.

"Well, you've met Khan, head of our city's task force," she huffed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Please forgive him. He's a bit over-cautious of foreigners."

"That's putting it lightly," Scarlet chipped in and scanned the area again. "Fancy place you got here. Fancy clothes too. Are we in some arabian place or something?"

Nella tilted her head. "Huh?"

"I mean, what's with the fluttering robes and turbans?"

The redhead shrugged her shoulders. "If you're talking about our clothes, it's because of the weather...and it looks pretty too. It's what we Arjrabalians have worn since the old days."

"Arjrabalians?" White echoed from behind, slumping her head over Scarlet's shoulder. "What's that?"

"O-Our nationality. This is Arjrabal," Mana answered proudly. Scarlet, White and Jolteon blinked before giggling lightly, unnerving the already nervous boy. "I-is it something I said?"

Straightening up, White patted Mana's shoulder. "Nice one, Mana. You almost had us there."

Nella stared.

"See, Arjrabal's a fairytale. It was believed to have been a paradise shrouded in mystery and lost in time, where people and pokemon lived happily before it. Every child in the world knows that," Scarlet added and turned. "Now really, where are we?"

"It's not a fairytale!" Nella declared a little too sharply and put her hands on her hips. "You're in Arjrabal, scarface so you'd better believe it!" And with that, she threw the roll of bandages into Scarlet's face and trotted away with her nose held high.

"What's her problem?" he asked, taking off the bandages.

"Sorry," Mana replied bowing lowly. "She's probably just displeased at the fact that our city is held in such high regards."

"Isn't that a...good thing?"

Mana scratched his head. "Uh...she's a very modest person," he stated and hurried after the redhead.

Pulling a face, Scarlet crossed his arms. "Modest my eye. She's probably PMSing." Turning again, he stalked off to the room he previously slept in and took off the blanket he had used to cover his torso before his eyes widened at the mark at the centre of his chest. "That was some burn. Just what did that shady guy use to hit me?" _Anyway, we'd better leave. Something about this place gives me the creeps..._

The hunter looked around for his bag where his other clothes would be before a frowning in dismay. "Where'd the ditz go and put it...?"

"Hey Scarly! Look at me!" White cried, bursting in suddenly. Luckily, Scarlet had re-wrapped the blanket over himself fast enough.

"Pervert! What if I was naked?!" he screamed.

Taking no notice whatsoever, the trainer twirled and showed off the linen blouse and baggy pants she had donned. "I'm an arabian princess! Hear me sing!"

"Where's my bag?" he cut-in, knowing how horribly scratchy her voice could get.

"Don't know!" she sang and grabbed Jolteon before spinning him wildly in a dance. "Let's go for a stroll, Jolt! Nella wants to show us around town too!"

"You lost my bag?" Scarlet screeched and banged his head against the marble wall. "My maps...My clothes...MY MONEY!"

"Oh hush!" White sang again and took his hand before placing his cube in it. "At least you've got this. Now put some clothes on."

"I would if you hadn't lost my bag!" he retorted before arching an eyebrow as White pointed. "What?" Following the direction of her finger, he saw some linen clothes hanging on the beautifully-sculpted wardrobe. "Oh hell no."

* * *

_Central Plaza, Arjrabal Central. _

It was 2PM and Nella sighed at the cool breeze tickling her face. The central park was beautiful at this time of the day when people were usually just closing up their business and lounging around. Lazy time as she and Khan had dubbed it some years back.

"Khan..." she echoed and shook the bitterness out of her head. She had been able to cover him for the chaos he had caused some hours ago but at the cost of having to rat herself out when asked about Scarlet and White. Luckily, she was able to skilfully edit the part about the attacker the previous night just so her uncle wouldn't worry too much and place a massive amount of guards over her. Unfortunately, he was still angry at the fact that she (once again) snuck out to explore the slums late at night and as a result, here she was sitting beside the big stone temple that called itself the Abundant Shrine with a stone collar around her neck. It was a strange one, patterned with the same Henna markings on her arms and in its centre was an emerald that sparkled faintly in the afternoon rays.

At first sight, one would have thought it to have been a present instead. That is, until Nella recalled its purpose.

* * *

_"I call it, The Trace Collar!" _

_Nella glared at the man who had once been her older brother's mentor, Aleph. Unfortunately, he was too busy kissing up to the sultan to notice. _

_"If she strays too far from the shrine in the central plaza then our psychic pokemon can detect it thanks to this shard which will go off at that point in time. A unique plan, don't you think, sir?" he gloated._

_"That was my brother's design..." the redhead muttered under her breath, remembering how Celikk had once used it so he wouldn't lose her if she strayed too far away from the city. Raising her head, she put up a defiant smirk and shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "So it's just grounding re-mastered. Where's the punishment in that?"_

_Aleph smiled and handed the device to the sultan's attendant before dusting his cloak. "You'll find out soon enough, troublesome one." _

_The redhead simply huffed and kept her blue eyes on his retreating back. Later that night, she strolled off and went into the slums beyond the Abundant Shrine. Immediately afterwards, the crystal had shimmered and the henna on her arms glowed brightly before something coursed painfully through her veins. Within seconds, an unknown force slammed her back against the shrine and she passed out, both from the raw pain being pumped up her head and from slamming too hard against the hard wall of the shrine. By the time she came to, the royal guards along with their psychic type pokemon had surrounded her and Aleph smirked coyly at the scowl on her face._

_"A bit harsh, but stubborn Absol cannot be tamed using feathery whips," he stated and extended a hand to her. "Now be a good princess and return to the palace."_

* * *

Nella sighed. "But I have to see Minmi today. And her cousin just had a baby too..." Looking up, she eyed the shrine with a look of scorn and childish hatred. It was her limit, her boundary, the line separating the richer and well-to-do areas from the slums set-up for the foreigners who by the way weren't allowed too much access into the better area. Drawing her knees up, she continued to stare the shrine down. "_It's for my own good_, he says. How am I no different from a Lillipup?"

Silence answered her and she continued her sulk. "Stupid shrine maiden job. Why do I have to do it? I have a life too, you know. I also helped to rebuild this city so why can't I see how my people are doing? Just because of some stupid murderer who everyone thinks is a foreigner...Like I'll be any safer within the palace walls..."

Soon, she heard voices and looked up to see White dragging her friends across the park in search of someone. Guessing it to be herself, Nella waved them over and made space on the park bench. Sighing in exhaustion, White promptly plopped down and fanned herself while Scarlet simply stood close behind, wrapped in the same blanket from the Nella's room and looking around nervously.

"All that running around really works up a sweat," the trainer cooed and flexed her lean arm. "Could really use the exercise though! Look at my biceps!"

Nella gave a lopsided smile at the non-existent muscles and gestured to Scarlet. "How were the clothes I sent you?"

Shooting up, White struck a pose. "Awesome! It almost feels like I'm not wearing anything at all!" (Insert nosebleed from Scarlet) "C'mon Scarly! Show her yours!"

"I ain't budging," he scoffed and stuck his head high. "So you can't make me!"

White stared blankly before putting her hands behind her and winking at Nella. "Watch this," she mouthed and slowly lifted her linen blouse, revealing her slim belly. "Ne, Ginger. It's really hot."

"Then take off your clothes or someth- WHOA, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"

Nella suppressed a giggle as Scarlet threw the blanket over White's almost naked torso, instantly revealing the sleeveless, linen crop-top and white slim-fit pants that ended in black, thigh-high boots.

"You look like a girl," she blurted and the ravenette realised just what had transpired. In seconds, he was in front of the nearest tree, repeatedly bashing his head against its hard bark and chanting "You got played by a ditz...again!"

"Nice technique," the redhead laughed before giving a coy smile. "So you guys are that close eh?"

White blinked. "What? It WAS hot. And a friend of mine said I should always do that when I need something from Scarly."

Sweatdropping at her frankness, Nella got up and extended a hand. "I'll show you around town."

...

In the few hours that transpired, it finally dawned on the newcomers that this new city they were was actually WAY more than it was cracked up to be. Picture a mix of Arabian and English designed houses lined side by side with heavy Victorian traces here and there (not to mention the beautiful variety of trees and flower-filled lawns lining the paved roads) and one would probably get a close approximate of what a normal street would look like in Upper-Arjrabal. Small pokemon flocked around the man-made streams and ponds, often playing in the cool water and waving at the passers-by. White had no trouble quickly entering them in her pokedex before promptly removing a pokeball and trying to catch one. Of course, Nella held her hand sternly and questioned her action.

"Catching them? What's wrong with that?" the trainer had asked.

"They're travellers coming from beyond the desert to rest and replenish themselves, much like you guys. I think they too would prefer not to have some strange device hurled at them," Nella had replied and had then led the group away from the pond.

As they came to the bazaar, Scarlet marvelled at how ancient and modern architecture blended together. Not even Sootopolis City could have pulled this off. Then he and Jolteon got that queasy feeling that only guys got when they were in a shopping mall.

"Let's go shopping!" White declared and Scarlet promptly grabbed Jolteon and slunk away to find a bench like the noble gentleman he claimed to be.

The tour ended a few hours later with Nella pulling them towards a high podium in the city's centre. Bounding up the steps, she showed them a full view of Arjrabal at sunset.

"Wow..." the white-haired girl and Jolteon cooed airily, admiring the picturesque desert horizon. Scarlet simply gave a small smile like he always did on such occasions.

"Beauty eh?" Nella asked, resting on the balustrades. "It was a lot better during the Flygon Lifting."

"Flygon Lifting?" White tilted her head. "What's that?"

Clasping her hands together, Nella recalled the wonderful event. The wild Vibrava. The dancing. The evolution. The beautiful sunset. The Aurora. And...the Lifting.

"Sounds fancy," the hunter stated, raising an eyebrow. "Scientific records and extensive environmental study never revealed ordinary Vibrava to display such high levels of well-planned co-ordination and intelligence, especially when undergoing evolution."

"Well I wanna see it!" White declared, pumping a fist in the air...and socking her coach in the chin. "When does it happen."

Smiling sadly, Nella looked down. "Sadly, the Vibrava disappeared ten years ago during a fire."

"There was a fire?" her guests asked in unison and Nella ended up telling them about what had happened that fateful night...and beyond.

An uncomfortable lull passed over them before White wrapped an arm across Nella's shoulder and gave a grin.

"Must've been rough. But look on the bright side. At least you rebuilt the place and from the looks of it, Arjrabal's better off now!"

"But the Vibrava didn't come back," the redhead chipped in and peeled White's arm off her shoulders. "And if you look closely, the city's not all that perfect." Slowly, she pointed to the ancient-looking areas in the distance. "How can this be called paradise when its inhabitants can't share its happiness with foreigners?"

Scarlet knew what she was referring to and shoved his hands in his pockets before dragging himself forward. "Oi...there'll always be stuff like that happening. Every heaven has its hell anyway."

Lowering her finger, the princess gave Scarlet a look before brightening up and laughing awkwardly. "Sorry I'm being so angsty. Just happens when you've got princess duties and shrine maiden stuff to worry about...and not being able to play around much."

The giant sun-dial tower beside them struck seven and a bell swung heavily, sending soothing clangs through the city. A gentle breeze blew against the group and Nella gestured to the palace.

"Time for us to head back. My uncle-I mean the Sultan wants to thank you for saving me."

* * *

_Dining Hall, Grand Palace, Arjrabal Central. 8:00 PM._

White ripped some beef off the bone in her hands and downed it with the Oran Berry wine beside her. Her party pokemon were also seated next to her, happily guzzling away at the food laid before them by the fancily-dressed man-servants while Scarlet and his Jolteon sat far off, doing their very best to pretend as if not to know the guzzling beasts.

"Hey Scarly!" she called.

_Rattatas, _the hunter inwardly hissed and turned his head away while taking a sip of his drink. "Ignore her, Scarlet. You can do it-"

"Oh darn, I splashed a drink on my-"

"SHIRT?" Scarlet instantly cut-in, turning towards her boobs, strangely hoping that they'd become transparent. You could only imagine his disappointment when he found it on her food instead. Unfortunately, her ignorant comment had succeeded in getting his attention and she pointed past him.

"Who's that fat guy on the throne-MMPH!"

In that moment, Scarlet had never felt as much "Flash" as he had been in that instant when he crossed the table and sealed the airhead's basket-mouth with his palms.

"New game," he offered. "Let's see who can stay quiet the longest. Winner gets a surprise."

Amber eyes sparkling, she nodded wildly and sucked her lips in giving her a silly look. Being the bubble-brain that she was, it never occurred to White that Scarlet hadn't given a time limit.

Some minutes later, the portly man at the throne clapped his hands twice and the music slowly reduced until it became a tiny whisper. As he rose, his herald called "All rise for the Sultan, his Grand Eminence, Salim!"

The members rose and it was only then that Scarlet noticed Khan glaring at him from the other end of the long table.

"Hail to the Sultan!" everyone declared and bowed lowly before Salim took his seat, a sign for the rest to follow suite. Immediately after, the herald came forward and cleared his throat before directing his gaze to the visitors.

"May Master Scarlet and Lady White please come forward."

The teens stood up and shuffled their way towards the throne before stopping at the steps leading to it and dropping on one knee each. Just as Nella had taught them.

"Hail the Sultan," Scarlet stated.

"HA! I WIN-OW!" White exclaimed, rubbing the back of her head in pain. With a pout, she made her own statement. "Hail the Sultan."

Salim chuckled before nodding at them in approval. "Rise, travellers."

As soon as they got back to their feet, he began his statement.

"I wish to thank you for saving our princess, Nella and I also apologise for any unnecessary hassle it might have caused. As such, I had this ball prepared for your amusement and I hope the food is to your liking."

"It was delicious!" White chipped in and a burp escaped her mouth, making her blush in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"Piloswine," Scarlet deadpanned silently, looking away. However, the sultan simply laughed and stood to meet them.

"Quite the amusing couple. Please, enjoy the ball!" he declared and clapped his hands again. On cue, the music kicked back to allegro again and Scarlet, White and Jolteon were ushered into the open courtyard where a dance was taking place.

"Consider yourself lucky, outsider."

Scarlet turned and saw Khan and his Krookodile leaning against the wall near him.

"Yo racist," the ravenette greeted scornfully, earning a glare from Khan.

"Only Arjrabalians of high rank and status are allowed here. For it to have been thrown for nobodies like you," he continued and stepped up to Scarlet. "Jirachi is probably smiling down on you."

The boy shrugged indifferently. "Whatever you say, Aladdin."

"Khan," the 19 year old butted in sharply and turned his head to the side, suddenly taking interest in the torches hanging off the walls and illuminating the massive courtyard. "For all its worth though...I appreciate the effort last night. I'm mildly grateful for the princess' rescue...and...I'm sorry for my actions earlier."

Smirking, the ravenette put his hands on his hips. "Now that wasn't so hard was it?"

"I still have my eyes on you!" Khan snapped, removing his sunglasses. "So don't get too cocky, scarface"

Scarlet would've gladly let a swear word fly had White not suddenly come from nowhere and grabbed his arm.

"Dance with me!" she exclaimed with a laugh and pulled the stuttering ravenette towards the centre of the courtyard where other men and women were gathered.

"W-wait! Oi!" he stammered, looking to Jolteon for help only to find Emboar swinging the Lightning pokemon wildly in a dance of her own. "I'm not very good at dancing!"

His vehement refusals fell on deaf ears and with a squeal, White took the lead as the music started up again, drawing Scarlet close and twirling around gracefully. With each note, she moved her legs and took Scarlet with her all the way as they danced across the floor. In time, Scarlet fell in step and followed the girl's movements, wrapping a hand round her waist and moving to the rhythm. Soon, the music turned accelerando and the teens' movements increased in co-ordination, almost mirroring each other.

"Thought you said you couldn't dance!" White giggled, staring into Scarlet's eyes and making him turn his head, pink stinging at his cheeks.

"Shut it, ditz. I'm only copying and improving on your movements. This is the Nuvema dance, no?"

"Wow, it is! How did you know, Scarly?" she asked in wonder.

"I've never been in Unova," he stated and spun her around again before arching lowly, making White's hair nearly brush the floor as she arched in tune. "But I've seen enough Strictly Come Dancing with my sister."

Someone tapped on his shoulder and Scarlet turned to see Nella smiling at them. Mana stood beside her, nervously playing with his fingers.

"P-Princess," he stuttered. "I-it's hard enough for a servant to dance with his masters. I really have to get back to work."

"Don't be such a stiff!" Nella replied and took White from Scarlet's arms. "Switch!" and the trainer was pushed into the startled Mana's arms. Grabbing Scarlet, she quickly wrapped one of his arms round her waist and took the other.

"Forward, aren't we?" the ravenette asked, earning a huff from the redhead.

"You guys are pretty much the only ones who dance with so much abandon. I gotta have fun too, you know."

"What would your boyfriend think?" Scarlet chipped in, aiming a triumphant glare at the gaping Khan in the corner.

Blushing, Nella looked down and continued dancing. "He's not my boyfriend."

Rolling his eyes, the hunter fell back into step and laughed at the helpless look on Mana's face as White got him caught up in her complex dance again. For someone who hadn't seen it though, the boy was doing a pretty good job of keeping up with her.

"Almost like he'd known it before," the hunter echoed and Nella looked at him in confusion.

"Something up?" she asked only for him to shake the thought out of his head.

"Nothing. Now stop pressing against me or I'm gonna nosebleed to death."

* * *

_10:00 PM_

"Where'd Nella go?" White asked, still catching her breath. The dance was long over and even through the entertainment the trainer was still trying to regain the energy she had dissipated from the rigorous activities.

"She left for the stage," Mana replied, also struggling to catch his breath. "She said she had a present for you two."

Seconds later, the sultan's herald called the guests back into the palace with his booming voice before leading them towards a dark room with Chandelure-structured lamps that gave the room a magical setting with their aqua-blue rays of light.

"Wonder what's going on now..." White whispered as everyone took their seats in the theatre-like room. Scarlet shrugged and scanned the room again before his eyes fell on the stage straight ahead. Some seconds later, the herald trotted out from the behind a curtain and cleared his throat loudly, quietening the whispers and murmurs from the audience.

"It is with great honour and pleasure that I present to our newcomers a gift from the princess herself as a show of gratitude," he stated and raised his hands. "Ladies and Gentlemen...a song, from Princess Nella!"

On cue, scented smoke dramatically billowed from the stage floor, completely enveloping the herald and the stage. By the time it cleared, the herald was gone and in his stead were two silhouettes sitting against life-like palm tree and facing away from the audience. The stage lights brightened up but only slightly, barely revealing the orange-haired princess with her pokemon lying down as if in slumber with his head on her laps.

"She's beautiful..." White commented, enviously eyeing the dolled-up princess. Scarlet simply huffed and stroked Jolteon as the pokemon snuggled into his own laps. Soon enough, the gently rumble of drums filled the air and Nella turned her head to view the crowd, keeping her blue eyes rooted on Scarlet and White. As soon as the bell chimes started in sync to the quiet drums, she opened her veiled mouth and took a deep breath.

"Be grateful," Scarlet heard Khan hiss lowly from behind. "One would be blessed to have a shrine maiden openly sing for them."

Then it started.

_Light petals flowing off the creek_

_And gentle breezes whipping through our hair_

_Watching the idle clouds smile at us_

_And lull us as time sleeps on_

Her voice. "Wow..." was all Scarlet could breathe out as she flooded the stage with her melodious song. Never in his life time had he heard a tone so gentle and yet so full of emotion, enough to outclass even the most experienced of Jigglypuff and even the rumoured mystical songs of numerous Flygon.

_Grasping the stars the moment they appear_

_Sparkling in their early sunbath and laughing otherwise_

_Greeting us in careful glimpses_

_Mesmerising so_

"Arceus..." White stuttered, letting her eyes go wide with admiration at the gradual rise and fall of Nella's voice, connecting beautifully with the calming hums of the invisible harps and lyres. "She could beat Meloetta..."

_Days we spent dreaming of the oceans_

_And wandering our boundless expanses_

_The horizons and the sights_

_Soothing as always_

Jolteon simply stared wide-eyed. He'd heard a lot of singing, but this one definitely took the cake. Her voice was mesmerising, soothing and somewhat eerie too.

_Let my feet sink into the softness of the sand_

_As I see the brilliant sun_

_rising quietly from the bed of dawn_

_And the silky surface of the calm sandy sea_

_Reflecting the saffron-tinted beauty _

_Like a sprinkle of mesmerising glitters_

_of a fairy's wand_

The instrumentals began to waver and flicker like flames, letting Nella's voice grow louder and louder with each stroke. As if her voice wasn't enough, Bu began to hum in resonance with his owner, framing her music like an old photo and adding a natural vintage to it. Unknown to Scarlet, White's hand had found his and she tightened with each chord that drew a slow heave out of her.

"I'm so gonna cry..." she whispered with gooey eyes. "Scarly! Tissue!"

His head wasn't paying attention to her but his arm rose all the same and Jolteon was instantly shoved into White's face, blocking out her girly squeals as she blew snot and tears into the disgusted pokemon's fur. The latter sweatdropped, having grown accustomed to it and not really caring either as he was too entranced by the music. Khan himself had long since grown silent as he was too deep in erupting memories, fuelled of course by his once-childhood-friend's voice.

"Just when did things get so bad between us..." he unknowingly muttered. He couldn't have helped it. This was the song she would sing for him whenever they were feeling bored.

_eyes closed, head first,_

_I fall at night into a world_

_where mesmerising creatures_

_of ethereal shapes and colours_

_lie suspended in a sea of joy - and sorrow _

_while a Flygon gently sings_

_a cryptic love song,_

_until I reach him _

_at the bottom._

And that was it.

Nella gave a curt bow and left the silent crowd who only began to clap madly as her foot left the stage.

"Beautiful!" White cried and whistled before clapping her hands loudly.

"She wasn't half-bad..." Scarlet stated, being the hard-ass that he was and yet clapping all the same. In his own fit of excitement, Jolteon let fly several small sparks. However, his two companions were beside him and we all know what came afterwards.

...

"How was the present?" Nella asked as her handmaidens tended to her hair and make-up removal.

"I cried," was all White replied and clasped her hands together as she got that gooey-eyed look again. "If I could sing like that, I'd be in a musical for sure!"

Nella chuckled. "Anyone can sing. Some just have a greater skill at some notes than others."

"Not me," the trainer giggled and rubbed her neck. "Scarly says I've got the Screech attack to burst a Loudred's eardrums."

"How mean," the princess stated and winced as a hair ornament was pulled out a little forcefully.

"On the contrary, it's...quite true," White replied and took a deep breath before letting out the beginning of a horrid, scratchy noise that'd make even a Nosepass' ears bleed. Luckily, Scarlet came in from nowhere and stuffed his hand over her mouth just as Nella almost developed a headache.

"And that's just the first two seconds." Withdrawing his hand, Scarlet smirked at Nella. "I appreciate the present, princess. Also, White and I did some thinking and found out that'd we'd have a lot of time to kill in this place."

Nella rose an eyebrow. "So you want to stay longer? Personally, I don't mind but-"

"Wrong!" White declared and took up a victory pose.

_"We're gonna help you catch the murderer!"_

**-END OF CHAPTER III-**


	4. Let the Investigation Begin

**IV**

_Grand Palace, Arjrabal Central. 10:05 PM._

_The next day._

"First of all, what did the murderer say he was after?" Scarlet asked as soon as the servants took away their empty breakfast plates.

"A book of my brother's original research," she replied after ordering the guards out.

"Who'd wanna fight over a book?" White asked. "Unless that person really loves studying."

The group sweatdropped at her statement and decided to move on.

"What exactly was in that research?" Scarlet asked as he leaned back in his seat. "Must've been really important."

"You're right. It is important." Nella snapped her fingers and Mana stepped forward bearing a scroll in his arms. With a small flourish, he rolled it open and spread it across the table.

"Wow, that's long," White cooed. It was quite a long piece of paper as the space between its top and bottom parts completely covered the entire long table.

Scarlet took out his glasses and scanned the contents of the scroll from the bottom upwards.

At the very bottom of the scroll was a human figure, a woman by all indications, who stood with her arms raised high. Above her, three unknown genie-like beings, probably pokemon, looked to be floating down to her. The green one on the left and the blue one on the right had both their own muscular arms spread wide as if beckoning her into an embrace while the orange one in the centre raised its own arms skywards. Then above them were three pokemon of similar colours but different shape altogether, an alternate form as Scarlet could guess. Then above those ones was a simple blue orb, just like the one the murderer had used on him. The orb seemed to have been of great importance as it was placed in the very centre of the long scroll. Then above it, Scarlet saw something that made him shudder.

Scarlet saw a red monster-pokemon resembling the colossal one in the vision he had gotten two days ago. It had odd black markings all over its bulky frame and its outstretched claws were literally scraping at the scrolls borders, as if trying to escape. The image took up nearly the upper half of the scroll but there was still enough room for the erupting volcanoes. Swirling patterns littered the upper half indicating clouds and above it were two simple images. A group of Flygon ascending into the top of the scroll and towards a lone star in the depicted night sky.

"This is?" White asked after a few minutes of thoughtful silence.

"A legend passed down from generation to generation throughout Arjrabal," Mana explained. "It was supposedly drawn by our forefathers indicating how our city was born with the help of the Kami Trio."

"Kami Trio?" Scarlet echoed.

"A collective term for the legendary pokemon of thunder, wind and land. Thunderus, Tornadus and Landorus respectively," Nella elaborated and indicated their respective positions on the map.

"Is there a story pertaining to their existence and possible significance?" Scarlet asked and Mana nodded.

"As you can see, Arjrabal is surrounded by the vast desert yet it thrives despite its harsh environment. Long ago, the city wasn't always like this," he explained. "Our ancestors used to struggle with the weather conditions and whatnot. It was quite hellish for them but that was the only spot with water in the desert so they couldn't really leave unless they were willing to dig another well, which was quite a hard task as they hadn't bonded with the ground-type pokemon then. So for the time being, they tilled the sand, sowed their crops and willed the land to bear fruit. Their crops grew but it wasn't quite enough to fill them. But they resolved to live off their meagre harvest and thanked the land nonetheless."

"Now that's persistent," White commented.

"Indeed. Arjrabalians are quite tough for our physique," Nella boasted before gesturing to her servant. "Continue, Mana."

The boy nodded. "All went mild for them but it didn't last very long."

Scarlet and White leaned further, willing him to go on.

"The villagers were just about reaping their small harvest one day when the clouds turned black and forceful winds whipped up. It wasn't a sandstorm. Instead, it was something completely unnatural and foreign to the desert. A thunderstorm. And in the very midst of it were Thunderus and Tornadus, locked in battle. No one knew the reason for their fight but it threatened the people's existence especially as the winds threatened to blow their crops away. As expected, they wreaked massive destruction across the land with their ferocious gales and fierce thunderstorms and it was no surprise that a stray bolt of lightning struck the fields, setting fire to them instantly. The people could do nothing to avert it and as such, all they could do was watch as their means of survival burnt to the ground. And despite that, the two legendaries fought, not bothering to listen to their pleas."

"That's terrible!" the trainer gasped.

"Calm down White. Jeez, it's just a story," Scarlet deadpanned and gestured to Mana. "Continue."

"R-Right. At some point, the fight raged on until it nearly wiped out the people themselves. At that point, the village head's daughter cried out in anguish to the land and begged, with tears, for a miracle from the heavens. Then something amazing happened. The clouds parted and a bright star surrounded by Flygon came down before her."

Mana began to re-enact the scene. "_I have seen your tears, I have heard your pleas and I have seen the bitterness in your heart. Now close your eyes and make a wish, girl! Wish with all your heart and might!_ And the girl closed her eyes and took the star in her hands. _"I wish for the pokemon to stop their fight!"_ And in a flash, the star was gone and the land rose against Thunderus and Tornadus. From its bowels came their master, Landorus and with great anger did he punish them for their foolish and meaningless destruction. As an apology, he spread his power over their land and restored tenfold the crops that had been destroyed. Seeing the error in their ways, Thunderus and Tornadus provided the wind and rain necessary for extremely fertile ground and the village prospered as a result, after which, the Kami trio went back to the heavens with their entourage of Flygon. As thanks, the people erected a shrine to Landorus, nicknamed the Abundant Shrine and every 10 years, a princess is sent to deliver offerings and thanks to them with a song. And that's how Arjrabal came to be."

Mana used the ensuing silence to regain his breath and possibly shake off his nervousness, hoping that he had done a good job.

"Beautifully described as always, Mana," Nella remarked and pink spread across the boy's cheeks.

"I agree," Scarlet chipped in before resting his hands on Jolteon's fur as the pokemon lay across the table. "But what does it have to do with your brother's research?"

Nella tapped the star. "Brother took interest in the story and found a few loopholes. Where had the Star come from? Why were Thunderus and Tornadus fighting? And what made the land so harsh in the first place?"

Scarlet rose an eyebrow and shrugged. "Deserts just happen, I guess. It's probably the geographical position on the map that caused it."

"Well, Celikk didn't believe that. Instead, he read several pieces of old literature and chanced upon an ancient book stating that this desert was once a group grassy valleys and fields with streams, seas and waterfalls. He probably got curious as to why that had changed and he delved deeper into my father's study. Then he found his answer." Nella's finger slid over to the monster-pokemon at the top half of the scroll. "Groudon."

"Groudon doesn't exist," Scarlet butted in matter-of-factly. "It was just some Hoenn myth."

"Hoenn? What's that?" The redhead asked before huffing and continuing. "Anyway, that's what we thought too. Groudon was said to have come from another land, possibly this Hoenn you spoke of. After its battle with Kyogre, it came here and buried itself in the area to recover in deep slumber. It's possible that its presence is the cause of the decline in rainfall and subsequent change in environment...At least, that's what brother speculated anyway."

"So let's say Groudon is real and is actually buried under this city," White began and tapped her chin. "We can say that that's a good reason for the climate change...but what's the point of finding that out?"

"This is where it gets weird. He had a small hunch that that was what caused Thunderus' and Tornadus' falling out with each other," Nella replied and gave a sigh. "I know. It doesn't add up to me either."

Scarlet raised his hand. "I need to know something. Celikk's main research wasn't just to solve some story, was it?"

"No," came the reply from behind and the group looked back to see an old, bearded man standing at the door with a staff in his right arm and an Excadrill standing on his left. "I am terribly sorry for eavesdropping but I needed to know just what was taking our princess so long to finish breakfast."

Nella's blue eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms before huffing in contempt. "Aleph Zarik. Chief Adviser to the sultan and my brother's former mentor."

Mana bowed lowly as the robed man strolled past.

"I'm also her tutor. A pleasure to meet you two," he added and extended a calloused hand. White shook it enthusiastically as always while Scarlet gave him a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Anyway, Celikk had another main reason for researching on that story."

"And that was?" Scarlet asked.

"He wished to reawaken Groudon." Aleph set his staff down on the centre of the scroll, pointing to the blue orb. "With that."

"Why did he want to do that?" White asked.

"Because he felt that Arjrabal wasn't perfect enough."

The room went silent at Nella's interjection and Aleph adjusted his turban before coughing to break the silence.

"She is right. Celikk wanted to reawaken Groudon so he could control it and fashion the environment in such a way that it would be favourable for the city's expansion. But to do that, he needed the blue orb, an mystical item he had found out about in an old diary. As it was a fabled jewel, he sought to create it instead of finding it and I have to say that I had never seen him so lost in books and manuscripts in his seemingly endless search for the orb's components."

Jolteon gave a bark and everyone knew what that meant. _Did Celikk find it?_

"He did," Aleph stated hesitantly. "But he cancelled the project after he found out its most important components."

The foreigners tilted their heads in surprise. "Why had he stopped when he was that close?" they asked in unison and Aleph shrugged.

"He never told me."

Nella slouched and gave the old man a scornful look. "That was understandable. You didn't approve of the project in the first place." It was quite obvious to the others that she didn't like the old man very much.

"No one has the right to question history, Nella. I at least taught you both that much," he replied and the girl simply stuck out her tongue. With great patience, he laughed through clenched teeth and returned to the matter at hand. "That book he gave you most likely held the much needed ingredients."

White shot up from her seat with a big smile on her face. "I know why the murderer was after the book! He wants to awaken Groudon and continue from where Celikk left off!"

"Makes sense," Nella replied.

"Hello! He already had the blue orb," Scarlet objected and thumped his own chest. "He hit me with it, remember?"

"Um...sorry but doesn't that mean that he's obtained his goal?" Mana asked. "S-so why did he still come after Nella and Bu with his two Druddigon?"

Everyone fell into thoughtful silence before Nella finally sighed and spoke up.

"Celikk catalogued his research into two books, Original and Revised, possibly for future reference. Revised was stolen sometime before the fire 10 years ago."

"And I'm guessing he didn't put in the final ingredients in that version," Scarlet began.

"So that stone he used was a fake!" White finished and beamed at how smart she sounded.

"The original had the final ingredients and that's why he came after Celikk and eventually, Princess Nella," Aleph speculated and stroked his beard. "Where is that book anyway?"

"Safe. Some place the murderer will never find it," the princess replied matter-of-factly and got off her seat. "I'm skipping today's session, Aleph. Bye."

The man stuttered but by the time he had demanded a reason, Nella was gone. White also got up and stretched before massaging her throbbing temple.

"Cripes, all that thinking gave me a headache. I'm going to train with Jolteon, Scarly. See ya!" she exclaimed and ran out with Scarlet's pokemon.

The hunter huffed and took a second look at the scroll as Mana came over to roll it back and put it away. Somehow he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to the murderer's reason than just wanting to finish what Celikk had started. And the star had something to do with it.

"Ow..."

Scarlet looked up and saw Mana wincing slightly as he picked up the scroll. "You okay?"

"Y-yes Master Scarlet. Please don't mind me," the boy stuttered and walked out of the room with a limp.

_Looks like he had hurt his leg in the dance yesterday_, Scarlet inwardly remarked and got up to meet Aleph. "Excuse me, Aleph. Did Celikk have any...lab or study of his own?"

The old man hummed in thought before shaking his head. "Sorry but that would've been located in the palace. It probably burnt down during the fire anyway along with any other research of his. You could check the ruins where the slums are located although I doubt you'll find anything of importance."

"Thanks," the boy replied and stepped around Excadrill before leaving the room.

* * *

_The Slums, Arjrabal Western. 11:30_

For some reason, Scarlet felt a brief sense of cruel irony at the sight that greeted him when he stepped through the gate that led to the slums. The area made a sharp and stark contrast with the beautiful city he had just left behind and he couldn't help but feel slightly out-of-place with the fancy clothes he was wearing that seemed to attract attention from the rag-donning passers-by on that busy market street.

"I feel just as uncomfortable as you guys so stop looking, jeez," he grumbled and walked through the street in search of the ruins. Ten minutes later, he found himself back where he started and he scratched his head in exasperation. _Damned place is like a maze._

The boy suddenly raised a hand and grabbed the arm reaching for his pocket. Looking back, he glared at the scruffy pickpocket and gave a creepy grin. "You're a hundred years too early to think you can steal from me, buddy. Now if you don't mind, tell me where the ruins are."

Some time later, Scarlet let the lanky man go and whistled at the ruined structure before him as the pickpocket ran for his life. The once tall palace had been reduced to half its original size and overgrown vegetation littered the compounds. Scarlet slipped under the half-raised gates and wrinkled his nose at the dead Pidove he accidentally stepped on. After wiping his shoe against the grass, he zigzagged through the weeds and trees before parting the tall grass that blocked the entrance. The charred doors had been conveniently locked so all he climbed through the nearest window and coughed as his feet threw up dust upon landing on the floor. Rattata scurried away at the sight of the intruder and Scarlet took the time to view the burnt interiors.

"This must've been the grand entrance or something," he speculated as he spotted the doors in the far end of the massive hall. To his right was another section of the palace with two sets of staircases on both sides of the wall running up to the floor that looked over the reception and towards the door. Underneath the balcony and between the staircases was a door that, upon entering, led to the large dining hall. Scarlet spotted the kitchen building not too far off and he nearly left the room when he saw some paintings on the mouldy walls. Though dusty and charred, Scarlet could barely make out some of their contents and he came closer for a better inspection.

One oil painting showed a shrine with three orbs surrounding it and glowing brightly. By their colours, the hunter could easily guess who the orbs were modelled after. Next up was a rough, abstract painting of the sea with a small boy standing at its shores and facing the horizon.

"For someone who had never seen the sea before, this guy sure had a good guess. I wonder if he was an impressionist..." Scarlet muttered and spotted a signature similar to the charred one of earlier.

_Cyrino._

The same signature was engraved on every other picture and Scarlet admired each one until he came to the last and largest painting. A gentle, but no doubt authoritative, man sat on his throne with an orange-haired toddler on his lap and a young, black-haired boy standing at his left. On his left was a delicate-looking woman who bore striking resemblance to Nella and Scarlet immediately realised that he was looking at a family portrait.

But someone else was in the picture and unfortunately, he or she's face was coincidentally burnt out from the portrait.

"Looks deliberate," the hunter muttered and brushed the image lightly. "Wonder who that was." Also, the portrait seemed to have been done by another person as the familiar signature was absent. Slowly, Scarlet tore himself away from the dining room and went back to the reception before taking a cautious look at the battered staircase. With light steps, he dashed up the flight and looked to the entrance doors before disappearing into the corridors upstairs. In no time at all, he found himself at a large but seemingly destroyed throne room and he put a hand up to block the blinding sunlight streaming in through the holes in the ceiling. After crossing the long pathway that led up to the throne itself, he looked to his left and found just what he was looking for. A study.

Upon entering it, the curious teen frowned at the smashed bookcases and piles of rubble along with the heaps of ash and badly burnt books littering the blackened floorboards.

"Aleph was right," he sighed. "There's nothing here except burnt stuff. But it wouldn't hurt to get my hands dirty once in a while..." And with that, he waded through the dust and began picking up the less-charred books and papers. An ordinary person wouldn't have bothered as the ink had considerably smudged over the years and mould had graced the covers and page edges. But deciphering stuff was easy for Scarlet. All he needed was the cube and the small Spoink bouncing in the corner.

* * *

_Central Park, Arjrabal Central. 12:00 PM_

"Emboar!" White cried and swished her arm to the left. "Flamethrower!"

The Mega Fire Pig drew a deep breath before letting loose streams of fire from her nostrils, aimed at Jolteon who stood at the far end of the field. Barking, the electric-type jumped to the right before coating his fur in crackling electricity and running straight for Emboar.

"A Volt Tackle, huh? Then we'll use Hammer Arm!"

With a compliant grunt, Emboar waited for her massive fist to glow white before sending it into the oncoming Jolteon. Both attacks collided and the resulting explosion would've blown quite a number of leaves off had it not been for the psychic barrier surrounding the pokemon, kindly set up by Mana's Claydol.

"M-Miss White really loves intense training," the servant gasped in admiration.

"It's good exercise for my pokemon!" White replied, eyes locked on the hand to paw combat that ensued between the two in front. "Can't be slacking off while in paradise, can I?"

The white-haired boy laughed and continued watching the battle with childlike interest, rapt and curious. In time, Emboar had worn herself out and gratefully sat on the grass as White called for a break.

"Good job, girl," she encouraged and patted the pokemon's smooth and broad back before handing her an Oran Berry. "Take a good rest." Turning, she scooped Jolteon into her arms before cooing out a thank-you to him and scratching his ear fondly, much to his delight. Slowly, she nodded to Mana and he in turn tapped Claydol on the head twice. With a dull hum, the Clay Doll's circular eyes stopped flashing blue and returned to their normal pink colour, signifying that the barrier had been put down. As White walked up to them, Mana handed out a bottle of water and she gratefully took it to her lips before drinking deeply.

"If I may ask," he spoke up as soon as the bottle left her lips. "Where exactly had you two come from?"

"I came from Nuvema Town," White answered while sitting herself down gently on the lawn. "As for Scarly, I'm guessing Kanto. I always forget to ask."

Mana tilted his head, letting his white ponytail spill over his shoulder. "Kanto?"

"You guys are isolated aren't ya?" she laughed at his confused look. "It's a region far from Unova. Eastern, I think."

"Oh..." Mana closed his eyes and smiled as the wind blew past. "I never knew there were lands beyond this one. I'd actually imagined leaving the city to travel and see the world. B-but...I'm too much of coward to cross the desert on my own..."

The girl had lain back fully against the earth and was watching the clouds go past. "So you haven't been outta this city...must be sad."

"Not really. I enjoy Arjrabal and being Princess Nella's personal assistant can be quite entertaining," he objected shyly and grimaced a little. "Although she tends to drag me into doing things a servant shouldn't be caught doing. Like dancing with guests in a party..."

"That's a good thing," White giggled, remembering the flustered look on his face. "I've gotta say though, you did the Nuvema Dance well."

The boy stuttered before lowering his head in embarrassment. "I wasn't that good...but thank you, Miss White. My mother taught me the dance."

"Oh? How did she know?"

Mana's smile fell and sadness clouded his face. "She was a foreigner. Probably from this Nuvema you spoke of."

"No way!" White gasped and sat up straight. "So you're a-"

"Mixed breed. My father was an Arjrabalian Councilman from the past." Mana leaned against his big pokemon. "I inherited Claydol from him. It was a Baltoy, then."

The trainer stared at his black pokemon before putting a hand up. "Being a councilman sounds like a high-ranking job. How come you're a servant?" she asked and spotted his fingers flinching. "I-I mean, no offence of course..."

"No, no. You don't have to apologise to someone like me!" he stammered, throwing his hands about before calming down again and taking slow breaths. "My parents died in the fire incident 10 years ago. Fortunately, Landorus smiled upon me as the sultan had known my father quite well and readily took me in. As Nella and I had known each other before hand, she made me her personal assistant."

"Oh," was all the girl could blurt out. "Sorry about your parents. But since you're happy with Nella then I guess its alright."

Mana nodded before gazing round the park again. "I haven't seen Master Scarlet anywhere..."

"He's probably gone searching for clues," White sighed and laid back down again. "What made you bring that up?"

"W-well...um," he stuttered nervously before looking away. "F-forgive me for saying this b-but s-since you two are always together and such...it just feels weird seeing you apart..."

"Don't worry, Scarlet can take care of himself and he's not the kind of person to get lonely," the girl chirped, ignorant of what her fellow white-head was trying to imply. "By the way, I wanted to ask about Khan. Why's he so mean?"

Mana kept silent for a while before sitting himself beside White (though he left some considerable space between them both given his shyness). "W-well, Master Khan's not like this to everyone...just people he doesn't trust."

"Quite hostile if you ask me," White chipped in, mentally recalling what had happened on their first meeting. "He acts like a Beedrill stung him in the butt. And from the way he looked at me, I could tell he didn't like outsiders."

The servant nodded quickly and hugged his knees. "He wasn't always like that. Years ago, he used to love meeting foreign people...back when my parents were still alive, he and Nella used to drag me out to play despite their higher status. But status doesn't matter much when you're a child."

White nodded and drew closer as he took a deep breath.

"Khan became the way he is now because his parents were killed in the stampede caused by one of the nomad's Boufallant herd when the fire broke out. As desert nomads are foreign to this country, well, now we know why he hates outsiders."

"But it was an accident, right?" White was suddenly in Mana's face and the startled boy nearly fell over at the sight of the sweaty cleavage poking out from her blouse.

"Y-yes!" he squeaked and looked away sharply to hide the blush threatening to spill into his cheeks. "B-but Master Khan wouldn't hear of it. Furthermore, it was a foreign person that was said to have killed Celikk and started the fire. That only deepened his hatred more and since then, he's been acting like that towards the slumfolk especially since he's in charge of the task force responsible for keeping them in line."

"So he's taking it out on others?! That's cowardly!" White exclaimed and jumped to her feet. "I oughta give him a piece of my mind!"

"N-NO!" the boy panicked and grabbed her arm as she was about turning. "Please...leave him be. He'll only hate me more if he finds out that I told you all that. Besides, if Princess Nella can't correct him then I doubt you can, miss."

"But if someone doesn't do something, he'll end up making people sad," the girl whined and stared into his eyes. "Including you. I've seen the way he looked at you yesterday."

Mana looked down sadly and let go of her arm. "I'm a half-breed so he doesn't completely hate me. Even so. we're not friends either and no matter what I did, he would always hiss at me and make me feel bad for having a foreign mother. Don't make this worse than it is, Miss White. Please." His hands were trembling visibly and White could see him doing his best to hold back his emotions. "I know that Khan can be outright hurtful...but I still believe in the days we used to play together with Nella and Bu...when Arjrabal was still welcoming all kinds of people without drawing a dividing line."

Unknown to White, being a half-breed nowadays had a lot more downsides than up. People even hated them more than the outsiders because they wondered how an Arjrabalian had stooped so low as to marry an imperfect person (haughtiness and pride had overshadowed their hearts due to Arjrabal's prosperity and as such they had looked down on non-Arjrabalians as imperfections). Mana couldn't pass through the streets without hearing a snide whisper from somewhere around him.

_"I wonder how it feels to live with such impurity in his blood?"_

_"He's simply fooling himself, standing at the tables of kings and pretending to feel important because his father was Arjrabalian!"_

_"Maybe his father must've practised bestiality. That's probably why he lowered himself to marrying the likes of a dog!"_

_"Siddling up to the princess like that, who does that damned half-breed think he is?!"_

_"Pretend all you want, half-breed. You'll never be an Arjrabalian no matter how hard you try!"_

_"Look! He's crying! Half-breeds can actually do that?!"_

_"Cry more, Half-breed. Maybe you might lose all that foreign blood by doing so!"_

_"Cry!"_

_"Cry!"_

_"Cry!"_

White watched the tears falling from Mana's eyes and with a start, he pulled away and wiped his face.

"Please forgive me. I'm a weakling who only dreams of impossible things and cries at the drop of a hat. Now I've even gone and inconvenienced you with my stupid tears. I shouldn't have-OOF!"

White crushed the boy in a hug before taking out a handkerchief and placing it in his hand. "Stop apologising. You're only truly sorry when its your fault and in this case, it's definitely not. So its okay to cry! Even guys like Scarly do it!"

Mana stared at her before turning his head away. "I am but a humble servant and a half-breed, Miss White. You don't need to comfort someone like me-OW!"

White stopped pinching his arm and put her hands on her hips. "And another thing! Stop it with this humble servant stuff. Just because you're not a full Arjrabalian doesn't mean you should lower your self-confidence and self-esteem. Scarly once said that nothing should ever bring a man down. Besides, I don't care what you are! Half-breed or not, you're still my friend!"

Brown eyes widening, Mana looked up to see White's face smiling reassuringly at him. "Friend...? Me...?"

Suddenly, Arjrabal didn't seem as perfect as the boy had convinced himself to believe it was. If an outsider was willing to treat him like a normal human being then what was the point of calling this haughty city paradise? As more contradictory questions rolled through his mind, Mana hadn't realised the apparent malfunction in his tear ducts and it was only when Emboar had used a claw to wipe his cheek that it finally dawned on him that he was crying again.

Claydol watched his partner break down in White's arms and it couldn't help but notice that, despite his tears, Mana looked far more content than he had ever been so far, a rare phenomenon that made even the psychic-type wonder just how much he had been holding in and White's apparent ability to know the right words to say at that point in time.

"You're not as alone as you think you are," the girl smiled and clapped a hand over his shoulder. "You've still got Nella, Bu and Claydol too. And I'm sure that with the right dose of confidence, you'll be able to stand up to Khan. Then he won't take you for granted anymore and maybe, just maybe, he might respect you again. So don't let me catch you ruining your self-esteem or it's another pinch from me 'kay?"

Mana gave a small nod and looked up to see her holding her small pinkie finger out to him.

"Pinkie promise," she said and wiggled it playfully. "It's what friends do when they wanna promise each other stuff. And when you do it, you have to keep to it even when it gets troublesome or annoying. So, you'll promise me that you won't bash your self-worth and in return, I'll get Khan to be your friend again!"

"B-but, you don't have to, miss-"

"Give. Me. Your. Pinkie."

Mana's hand shot out instantly at her scary smile and he flinched as her little finger intertwined with his.

"Pinkie promise," she said and nodded for him to repeat it.

"U-um, Pinkie promise..." he mumbled and with a grin, White let go of his finger returning to the fields with her pokemon and Jolteon.

"Set the barrier, Mana! We're ready to continue training!" she called.

"Yes miss!" he replied and looked to Claydol. "If you'd please. And how come you're looking at me like that?"

Granted, a Claydol's stare is always creepy but this one seemed to be giving him a calculative glare. With a huff, the pokemon turned to White before letting its eyes go blue again, showing that the barrier was set. A small quizzical smile appeared on Mana's face and he murmured something under his breath before sitting himself on the grass again.

_"These visitors are really kind people. Maybe we'll see just how they impact on Arjrabal's future, right Claydol?"_

* * *

_Old Palace Ruins, Arjrabal Central. 1:00 PM_

The more Scarlet delved deeper and deeper into the greyed pages, the more scratches he planted on his head. Even with the Psychic-boost on, he still couldn't get much sense out of the pages. That was to be expected though as most of the readable text just happened to be old literature and biographies on several ancient names the teen had never heard of before.

"No clues here," he concluded and snapped the third book shut before turning his pink eyes to the bookcases again. Actually, Scarlet never liked using this particular boost though it was very, very essential when it came to investigation and research as it boosted his mental capabilities by more than 71%. At a cost. He was pretty much used to the dull headache that came after usage but two things he hated much worse than that were the pink hair and eyes he temporarily had to put up with in that mode, often leading one to think they were staring at some magical boy instead.

"At least nobody's here," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair at the evident lack of readable clues. But somewhere in his boosted mind, Scarlet had an inkling of much bigger secret held somewhere in this room. What it was, he didn't know and was on the verge of giving up when a noise caught his heightened senses. Looking back sharply, he spotted a fleeting shadow through the small opening in the door. Slowly, he got off the worn out seat and cautiously went over to the door before opening it slowly. The empty throneroom made him arch an eyebrow.

"Maybe it was just a passing pokemon," he concluded though he knew better than that. That shadow was a bit too upright to be a pokemon. Slowly, he stepped out of the study and down the hallway in search of this passing shadow but found nothing in return. Scowling, he turned back and was just about to return to the study when he saw something on the pathway that made him freeze in his step. A Zoroark. "But what's it doing here...?" he asked himself, getting uncomfortable by its unwavering stare.

Cautiously, he stepped closer to the Illusion Fox pokemon and nearly fell back at the gaping hole in its abdomen. "Oi! How the hell are you standing with that injury?" In actuality, the pokemon shouldn't have even been alive at that point. Zoroark simply flicked its head back and moved towards the study. Scarlet couldn't even hear the sound of its feet against the floor and he marvelled at the way its mane billowed like scarlet flames despite the lack of wind. Something clicked and he followed the pokemon silently, contemplating on whether to treat the pokemon or simply leave it in the ghostly state it was in, seeing as the pokemon neither winced nor faltered from the grave injury. Almost like it never felt it at all.

A minute later, they were back in the dilapidated study and Scarlet gave Zoroark a curious expression. What were they doing back here?

Zoroark slowly got to the piles of fallen bookcases before trying, with much difficulty, to lift them. Sighing, the ravenette flipped the wooden structures with ease and looked to Zoroark.

"There's nothing here but ash," he stated flatly but stepped out of the way as the pokemon began digging its pointy nose into the debris. Two minutes later, it pulled out a dirtied but otherwise unharmed book and held it out to the boy. "That's funny, I searched that pile and I didn't see that one." Taking it, he opened the book and frowned. The pages were blank.

Zoroark tilted its head at Scarlet's expression and peered over his shoulder to look at the book. The hunter was surprised to find it's odour oddly pleasant, like frankincense resins and formalin.

"There's nothing in the page," he remarked and the pokemon gave a small whine before tapping at the book again. "Wonder who keeps a blank book around. Quite heavy too..."

Heavy.

That one word made Scarlet's psychic-boost kick into high gear and he set the book on the table before flipping the pages. Each leaf was quite thick and the hunter put a finger to the edge of one particular page before pressing down lightly. All at once, the paper split in two, leaving neat pages on each side of the split page. To his dismay, the new pages were still blank and he tapped them tentatively before picking the book and peering at it with his eyes close to its feathery surface. He knew he was stumbling upon a major clue here and he had a gut feeling that there was something hidden behind these white pages.

White.

How does an ash-covered, ten year old book retain its white page-colour as if freshly printed? Surely there'd have been some stains here and there.

Stains.

What if the book was already stained?

"Here goes nothing," Scarlet muttered and blew at the page's surface. Nothing. So it obviously wasn't white dust or anything.

As if to confirm that, Zoroark pressed its nose to the book and sniffed loudly. No sneezes or snorts whatsoever.

"Invisible ink, maybe?" Scarlet asked himself and was surprised to see the Illusion Fox shaking its head. "Then what?"

Zoroark took the book...and dragged its long tongue across the nearest page. Now we all know what liquids do to paper and Scarlet snatched the book before the pokemon could damage it any further.

"It's not a chew toy, buddy," he snapped and flipped to the wet page. "Geez, I find a valuable clue and some Zoroark comes and..." He trailed off at the sight in his hands. For lo and behold, Zoroark's act had left a wet trail on the page and Scarlet could just barely make out some letters. "So that's it, huh."

Puffing its chest in pride, the mysterious pokemon allowed Scarlet to ruffle its mane in gratitude.

"I gotta admit, whoever owned this book used a couple of crude methods but at least he got the job done," the teen remarked and he gave a puzzled glance at the pokemon at his side. "How'd you know that licking it would help?"

As Zoroark are incapable of human speech, Scarlet decided to drop the question and he instead ran a hand across the wet page. It was quite sticky to the touch and the hunter deduced that it wasn't just Zoroark's saliva. The owner had been very careful to glue the dummy pages together with a thin, white adhesive of some sort and as such, it was shielding the text underneath. Pinching his index and thumb on the edge of his target page, Scarlet took a small breath and pulled slowly. The sound of crinkling nylon echoed throughout the room and the hunter hoped that he wouldn't accidentally tear off the page underneath. Luckily, only the white adhesive film came off and Scarlet mentally gave himself a pat on the back as he noticed the handwriting strewn across the page. Now all he needed to do was repeat this for the other dummy pages.

_Now we're getting somewhere._

**-END OF CHAPTER IV-**


	5. Warning Signs

**V**

"Khan!" White yelled for the third time. "Wait up!"

The young man instead chose to pick up his pace and pushed through the busy street with Krookodile in tow. He didn't know what the air-headed foreigner wanted from him and frankly didn't care as he was too busy conducting an investigation on Nella's attacker.

"Hold on a minute, will ya?!" he heard her shout and he inwardly smirked at how far it sounded. He was definitely losing her now. He however didn't consider White's tenacity and unique innovativeness at calling people's attention. Seeing as the 19 year old was not hearing, she resorted to the first thing that came to her mind. Picking Jolteon out of the forest of legs he was currently battling, she whispered a quick apology...and flung him forward with the power of a professional discus thrower. Jolteon flew threw the air and happily slammed himself against the unsuspecting man's back, knocking him into the ground and making him taste sand and street.

"Finally," White exhaled and ran up to her target. "Sorry but I needed to get your attention somehow."

"You bloody foreigner-MMPH!"

Cupping his lips with both hands, White shook her head and gestured to the busy street.

"This wouldn't be the best place to explode right now." Sighing, she withdrew her hands and took his wrist. "I need to talk to you."

Khan huffed and tried to get his hand free. "I have no business with you-"

"I know. Now come on." And with that, she dragged her stuttering captive out of the crowded street. Bemused, Krookodile followed once Jolteon had ascertained that White had meant no harm.

In time, they came to an empty alley between two buildings and White let go to catch her breath as she'd been running to and fro in search of Khan ever since training had ended some hours ago. Said teenager watched her breath heavily before folding his arms and leaning back against the wall.

"I'm surprised you had the audacity to drag me all the way to this empty area," he scoffed. "Unless you wish to continue our little fight yesterday."

"For the last time, I'm not here to fight you," she replied flatly and straightened up before putting her hands on her hips. "I wanted to talk to you about Mana and Nella."

Khan rolled his eyes at her serious glare. "Let me guess. That half-breed was probably throwing another pity-party and you just happened to have been invited. Look, outsider, he's not of importance to anyone so he shouldn't really be paid any attention too. After all, servants are meant to be seen and not heard."

"Wrong!" White shot back and pinched his nose tightly before giving it a sharp twist, just like what Scarlet had always done. Khan was lucky that she was still a bit tired out else he would've ended up with a bloody nose. Even so, it still hurt badly.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" he roared, holding the throbbing body part. "And how dare you touch me-"

"How many arms does Mana have?" the girl cut-in sharply, causing the man to blink in confusion. With a roll of her eyes, she repeated the question and waited for his answer.

"Two. Why're you-"

"How many legs does he have?" she butted in again.

"Two."

"How many hearts."

"One, of course...though I wouldn't be surprised if Half-breeds are born with two-"

"And how many heads does he have?"

"One! Now stop asking these stupid questions-"

"So what makes him different from you?" White asked, pointing a finger at his chest. "You're both human, right?"

Khan glared at her. "Yes. But the difference lies in our blood. A factor which an outsider like you will never understand."

"Just because he's got a foreign mom doesn't give you the right to discriminate against him. You think he enjoys all this?"

"Tch. They're not supposed to enjoy it," he snapped and turned his head away to avoid her gaze. "Besides, I'm not the only one who's got a hate for you outsiders but at least I'm kind enough. There are lots of people I know who'd kill Mana if he so much as walked carelessly on the street alone."

White gasped. "They'd actually do that?! That's terrible..."

Khan smirked at her shocked expression. "It surprises you? That's how harsh this city is against foreigners. That's also why I keep them in line on the other side of Arjrabal."

"Well that's not fair if you asked me," she stated. "Everyone has the right to be treated fairly despite their heritage. Humans were made to live in peace and harmony with each other and pokemon too."

"Then Arjrabal will fall into further imperfection if that happens," he spoke up and his eyes narrowed. "This city was made for Arjrabalians and Arjrabalians alone. I don't know what Princess Nella was thinking, suggesting that those outsiders come in, but she should've known of the implications this would have on others."

Silence.

Silence.

"So..." the girl began lowly. "You're saying all this was...Nella's fault?"

Eyes widening, Khan shot her a hateful glance and shook his head. "No! The princess is not at fault! She...just didn't know."

White stared at him for a minute before drawing close and putting up a curious expression. "You love her, right?"

"EH?!" he exclaimed with a jolt. "W-what makes you think that?!"

"The way you strongly defended her pretty much gave it away. Also, you've been frantically searching for her attacker almost to the point of exhaustion. I can see it from the dark circles under your eyes." The girl tapped her forehead as more thoughts came to her head. "Now that I think about it closely...you're not really the bad guy here..."

"Huh?" Khan blinked in confusion. What was she going to spout out now-

"First of all, you love Nella enough to distance yourself from her when she slapped you so you wouldn't lash out, being the hot-headed guy you are."

"HEY!"

"Second, though you won't admit it, you still consider Mana a friend. I know that because you said you knew a lot of people who'd kill him if they saw him out on the street. He's not dead yet because you probably beat up or drove away such people when he wasn't looking."

Khan's mouth slacked in shock. "How did you-" He saw her smile and he immediately cursed himself. She was pretty damn perceptive, he had to give her that.

"Lastly, you don't hate those outsiders as much as everyone thinks you do." White looked up to him with big, playful eyes. "At first you took up that job to get back at them...but after some time...you got tired of seeing Arjrabalians hurting them so much and as such, you took it upon yourself to keep the foreigners on their side for their own safety since they were quite weak and outnumbered compared to you guys."

Grey eyes narrowing, he put up an angry glare though deep down, he marvelled at how she was reading him like a book. And to think she got all this from their short conversation too.

"I mean, look at them. They're quite outnumbered but they haven't been driven out yet despite all the racial tension." She stabbed a finger into his chest. "Because you are that line that keeps the Arjrabalians from doing so. With Krookodile's help of course. But you can't let your own people know that so you pretend to be the brutal racist task officer, forcefully putting the foreigners 'in line' although you're secretly protecting them in your own way."

"Tch." Krookodile watched his master's hard gaze soften a little and gawked at the smiling girl. She really has this calming effect on people, huh? Truth be told, he knew Khan had already forgiven Minmi's granny's debt a long time ago, owing to her health and he had been secretly sending her medicine behind his gang's notice. Even the medicine he had planned to smash was already accounted for as he had already planned to send some prior to Minmi's curfew breaking. So in retrospect, White was right. Khan wasn't a bad guy. He was just maintaining appearances and helping in his own way.

"But it's just a hunch!" White coughed deliberately and sent him a coy smirk. "I could be wrong."

"Quit making a fool out of me already," Khan hissed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Don't misunderstand. I'm still not too fond of foreigners in our land after what happened to my parents. But that doesn't mean I'd ram a sword through them either since my parents' death was an accident. I've grown mature enough to at least accept that..."

"But why d'you have to keep up appearances?" White pressed. "Don't you know that what you're doing is hurting Nella and Mana?"

"It's for their own benefit!" he snapped. "There are plenty of people who don't approve of Nella's ideals and as such, wish for her downfall. If I can just get her to stop mingling with the outsiders then I'll be able to rest better knowing that less people are out to snatch her life. She thinks that by mixing with them, she'll improve their strained relationship with Arjrabalians? Give me a break! She needs to face the fact that she can't create the happy dream world that Arjrabal used to be no matter how hard she tries. That's the cruel reality."

White didn't say a word. Instead, she let her expression go thoughtful, slowly assimilating all that he had been stressing on about.

"I gathered two things from all you've said," White (now in logical mode) said solemnly and locked eyes with the confused older teenager. "One. You're a coward who's too scared to lose his respect among his people for the sake of openly helping others."

The man jerked forward and seized her arm forcefully before glaring at her menacingly. "Watch your mouth, girl. Lying is a bad thing to do."

Jolteon began to growl dangerously and Krookodile tensed but their human counterparts didn't so much as utter an attack.

Eerily unfazed by his frightening expression, White continued in a calm tone. "I do not lie, Khan. What else would I call a man who cannot stand up for what he believes in?"

Slowly, Khan's hold loosened and he withdrew slowly. "What was the second thing, outsider?"

"Nella strives for this city's perfection. I've seen the way she puts her all into making this city as seemingly sinless as possible. And that's why this city cannot advance." White saw his hands tense. "I'm sorry. I'm not too smart but even an idiot like me could see that she's simply straining herself by trying to regain for something that this city never had in the first place. That doesn't mean that what she's doing isn't good. But I'd hate to see her saddened when she doesn't attain it in the end. Someone needs to tell her that."

The 14 year old before him sounded almost like an old sage, a mere ghost of her other seemingly-ditzy self and that made Khan step back in wonder and slight apprehension.

"Face your true self and accept it, Khan." White looked up with her silly smile and tilted her head playfully. "Or else you'll end up as confused as a Psyduck after a rollercoaster ride."

"Who..." he muttered as she picked Jolteon and held him to her chest. "Just who the hell are you? A deity?"

"No," she replied and skipped past him before stopping and turning to face him. "I'm just your run-of-the-mill trainer who's trying to do what's right."

Khan would've said something else when an explosion and screams rang through the city air, making him and Krookodile tense up as their bodies went on high alert. White had already disappeared towards the source of the scream and before long, she had found herself standing before the street sporting the city's Grand Library.

Ahead of her, pedestrians ran for their lives as a Druddigon emerged through the doorways and sent a powerful Focus Blast into the street, blowing people off their feet as it exploded against the stony road. Laughing at their fright, the Cave pokemon sent another blast flying towards a child who had seemingly gotten paralysed with fear. Just as the ball was about making contact with her chest, White had gotten in from nowhere and pulled the child out of the way, wincing as the ball exploded behind her. Druddigon was just about punishing her for interrupting when Krookodile's tail and Scraggy's knee smashed into both sides of its red head, making it roar in anger and agony before engaging the two in lethal combat.

"Are you alright?" White asked as Khan ran up to the two girls. He did a double take on the girl in her arms and his brows furrowed in exasperation.

"Minmi!" he exclaimed and the brunette clung tighter to White's blouse. "How many times have I told you not to sneak into the city centre?"

"But I was bored!" she whined. "Besides, Big sis Nella offered to take me out to see the library today."

"Well, that's not allowed. And where's the princess?" he asked and his eyes widened as the child pointed to the library. "Oh no."

"She saw this strange man dressed in black and she pushed me out when he sent his two Druddigon on us. Please help her!" Minmi wailed.

"_Khara_*!" Khan swore and took out a radio receiver (yes, they have that in Arjrabal). "I'm calling for back up. Get to somewhere safe, now."

"Don't worry Minmi, we'll get Nella out now," White reassured the girl before setting her down gently. "Now be good and run okay? Don't stop until you get back home."

Khan watched the girl nod and run before looking to White as she got on one knee and put both hands on the ground as if getting ready to run. "I meant both of you."

"Are you gonna call those guys or what?" she asked flatly and took off running towards the Library's entrance, straight for Druddigon who was still stubbornly fending Scraggy and Krookodile off. "Jolteon! Now!" she cried and Jolteon came down from the roof and sent his legs into the dragon's skull, making it taste floor immediately. With an apology, she ran over its writhing back, down its thick tail and through the library doors with Jolteon in tow. "Keep it busy, Scraggy!"

Her Shedding pokemon nodded and brought a Focus Punch into Druddigon's back.

"Wait for me, Nella!" White exclaimed and ran through the sea of fallen books. "Help's on the way!"

* * *

_Old Palace Ruins, Arjrabal Western._

Scarlet snapped the book closed with a ragged sigh. His mind had been whirling, his breathing had been increasing and his heart had been racing with each page he had deciphered and it was only when his self-awareness returned at the climax that he had forcefully closed the accursed book, bringing his hammering chest to an abrupt and almost deadly stop.

"I get the feeling that I wasn't supposed to see that..." he muttered to the Zoroark beside him. "But it all makes so much sense now..."

Quickly rising to his feet, he looked Zoroark straight in the eyes and smirked. "Thanks for the help."

Zoroark smiled and licked the tip of Scarlet's nose gently before scampering over to the throne and ripping its cushion off. Digging into the brownish foam underneath, it pulled out a small wooden case and presented it to Scarlet.

Taking it, he opened the case and inspected its two contents.

"You mean...you want me too use this?" he asked with a hint of uncertainty. "Don't know why you chose me though. I'm not exactly a hero."

Zoroark nodded enthusiastically and stepped back with a big grin as Scarlet looked at the contents again.

"Thank you." He smiled softly and looked up to see an empty throne-room with no Zoroark in sight. "Maybe now, your soul can join your master's in the afterlife."

Slowly, he took the book and the case under his arm and strolled out of the throne-room.

Slowly, he got to the stairs, looked over the balcony and smiled at the unexpected yet familiar draconian visitor staring up at him with its red face.

Slowly, he tensed his fingers and eyed the Drilbur hiding behind the pillar next to him.

"Took you long enough to get here, although I'd have preferred if your master came along with you. Oh wait, he did. Didn't he?" Scarlet asked and looked to the cloaked man standing behind him with a blade at his neck.

"Any last words, Scarlet?" the man asked in his menacingly cool voice. The hunter sighed and looked at the broken chandelier hanging above the unsuspecting Druddigon on the floor below. He could feel a plan coming up.

"No. But I do have a question. Do you believe in ghosts?" And with that, he ducked sharply, instantly dodging the blade that was swung with enough force to decapitate him. Scarlet stuck a leg out and swept his opponent's feet from under him, making the man fall and let go of his blade. The ravenette proceeded to race forward and in seconds, he was just about reaching the frightened Drilbur when Druddigon landed before him with a loud crash that made the balcony creak dangerously.

"You're a good jumper," Scarlet remarked.

"Kill him!" its master ordered and Druddigon clasped its fists together before raising them and bringing them down on the teen below. Luckily, he was fast enough to jump away from the attack and he wobbled as the balcony floor trembled from the harsh impact. His pink eyes darted to and fro quickly and he swore as the Drilbur began to back away slowly. He had to act fast.

As the Psychic-boost was still on, he stumbled onto the railing before jumping off, much to his attackers' surprise. However, a set of pink steps instantly formed from under his feet before he could reach the ground far below and they made a mid-air pathway around the draconic obstacle and towards his target pokemon. Scarlet ran across them quickly and jumped back unto the other side of the balcony behind Druddigon and next to the pillar, right before the escaping Drilbur.

"It's okay," he whispered and held onto it tightly with his free hand. "Change boost!"

By then, Druddigon had gotten close and was just about using a Hammer Arm when a stony pillar with a fist-shaped top smashed into its chin from below, sending it reeling back in pain and dizziness.

"So this is the magic of foreigners," the man remarked as Scarlet let the Drilbur go and pointed his mud-brown fist at him.

"It's called science, buddy," he sneered and raised the items in his other hand. "I'm guessing you want this from me, no?"

The veiled man said nothing. A definite yes.

"Sorry but I need to show this to Nella. And now that I've gotten a good look of the book, I have a pretty accurate guess on your plans. If what I think is true...then you're a twisted psycho who wastes his time on useless and impossible stuff." Scarlet leaned to the side and gave a playful expression. "Now's the part where you try to kill me so I won't snitch."

On cue, Druddigon leapt up again and charged towards him only to be sent back as Scarlet gave a casual swipe of his hand, sending a mighty pillar of sand into the pokemon from the floor below. Not stopping there, he waved his arm to and fro, turning the sand around Druddigon until the stunned pokemon was fully engulfed from head to toe in the gritty attack.

"I always wanted to do this," he chuckled and raised his hand before clenching it tightly. "Sand coffin."

Instantly, the sand exploded before falling off uselessly, leaving the suffocated dragon to slump heavily against the floor. The hunter held the book and case to his shoulder before giving his attackers a dark look.

"Now surrender and make this easy for me, unless you want me to say please."

Instead of returning, the veiled man simply laughed darkly and pulled out an object that made the teen flinch. The blue orb.

"You remember this right?" he asked and walked up to his fallen pokemon.

"I remember alright...that it's not complete without the last ingredients," Scarlet replied, curious as to what the man was going to do. "You're not going to shove it in me again, are you? Not that I'd let that happen a second time."

The veiled man simply stood beside his pokemon and raised the orb to his side. "Complete or not, I feel that this orb should be enough to subdue someone with powers such as yourself." With that, he dropped the orb on the still Druddigon and Scarlet watched as the orb landed against its scaly back...and melted like a large drop of water.

An uncomfortable breeze blew through the ruined palace and Scarlet got the scary feeling that something highly unpleasant was going to follow. Through to his hunch, Druddigon's body vibrated and convulsed before snapping up to its feet. The pokemon began to scream as blue energy surged through its veins and before long, Scarlet noticed several black markings running and lining its blue skin with a terrible hiss like burning metal. Eyes glowing pale blue, the dragon's muscles rippled and expanded and its spikes elongated to give it a monstrous look. Even its wings weren't spared as they morphed into horrific appendages befitting only gargoyles and demons. Finally, the pokemon got on all fours with a sickening crack from its haunched back and it eyed the surprised hunter with a mixture of rage, hatred and pure bloodlust.

"This is bad," the teen muttered.

"Let's not waste time," the veiled man said and stepped back. "Destroy him and get that book."

Grunting, Druddigon raised one muscular arm and crashed it into the ground, completely smashing the balcony and sending both Scarlet and itself plummeting to the ground below. Luckily, the teen summoned a giant, palm-shaped sand pillar from below that caught him with ease before extending towards the chandelier above.

"You want it," Scarlet called and tossed the items into the bowl-shaped ornament. "You'll have to get it first. But since we're both after the same thing and you're not gonna let me leave alive, I'll just have to beat you down until it's safe for me to pass."

"So why'd you drop it there?" his attacker asked as his maddened Druddigon tensed.

"Ain't it obvious," Scarlet jeered and jumped off the pillar and towards Druddigon. "I fight better with two hands!"

And with that, he formed two stony blades in his arms and struck them against Druddigon's head. However, the pokemon seemed to increase in speed despite its added bulk and it used the wings on its back to shield itself. The halls echoed from the sound of stone clashing with scales and Scarlet scowled as his blades did nothing to break the pokemon's defence. This was gonna be hard.

Roaring, Druddigon charged a Hammer Arm on both arms and lashed out at Scarlet who promptly raised his swords to block the move. The defence worked but his weapons shattered upon impact and he had to jump to avoid the tail coming for his legs before summoning more stone swords to block a swing of Druddigon's right arm. Using the first one to shield the blow, Scarlet raised his second blade and slashed at the pokemon's face, only for it to dodge and grab the weapon in between its fangs, crushing them to dust with a simple snap of its large jaws.

"Give me a break," he hissed and jumped back as Druddigon used its free arm to try and slash his belly in two. Not giving him time to rest, the dragon rushed forward and began slashing and punching at him ferociously, leaving the teen to use the remaining blade to parry the attacks. At some point, he was forced back with each bone-racking hit and he wasn't too surprised when he felt the wall against his back.

"Surrender," the veiled man ordered.

"Kiss my ass," Scarlet snapped and ducked the blue fist coming for his head. With a loud bang, Druddigon's arm was lodged deep into the wall and Scarlet used that chance to get behind it and send several sandy pillars ramming against its back mercilessly. The pokemon screeched before pulling out its arm and using one hand to block the onslaught of sand punches. It however didn't see the ravenette rushing forward with a big, stone club in his arms and it screamed as the weapon was flung into the centre of its gut painfully.

"That's a Druddigon's weakness," the boy remarked and turned as it sank down slowly. "With a hit like that, it won't wake up for a while."

"That's what you think."

Suddenly, a force akin to a hammer smashed into the teen's back, sending him flying through a nearby wall. Pushing the stars out of his head, Scarlet moved away just in time to avoid a massive Focus Blast from the seemingly unfazed pokemon.

"That blue orb amplifies its power by approximately 110%," he heard the man remark. "Would've been higher if it were complete but its still sufficient, no?"

On cue, the pokemon charged through the wall and opened its jaws before firing off a giant Dragon Pulse at the hunter who responded by dodging the attack and letting it sail and explode at the end of the room. Druddigon repeated the attack, sending cannonball after cannonball of energy to which Scarlet dodged and dodged before raising his arms high. Instantly, four fist-shaped pillars shot through the walls and punched the pokemon left and right to the boy's relief. Unfortunately, that only seemed to piss the already-pissed pokemon off and with a dangerous snarl, it headbutted and destroyed the first pillar, smashed the second with its tail, crunched the third in between its fangs and punched at the last pillar's fist, shattering that one to dust too. However, Scarlet had already used that chance to form a stone mace and with a growl of his own, swung his weapon at it viciously. Druddigon caught the weapon's head and jeered only for a big pillar to smash into its head from above. However, it pushed against the pillar and used its free arm to smash it to pieces with a punch before coming back for Scarlet who had let go of the mace and was forming his two blades again.

"Hurry up, Druddigon!" its master barked impatiently. "I want that book."

Druddigon hurled its bulk into the air before coating itself in purplish energy.

"Giga Impact?" Scarlet echoed and the swords changed to form shields. "Bring it!"

With the speed of a race car and the strength of a truck, the dragon shot down and Scarlet pulled up the shields to cover himself before bracing for the impact. The attack met with his shields and his muscles virtually screamed from the sharp strain that was sent down his arms from the impact that was enough to form a crater under him. Luckily, Druddigon had rammed too hard and was stumbling back, slightly dizzy though it regained its senses fast enough to block the clubs once again. This time, they engaged in close combat now and Scarlet summoned more mineral clubs before spinning round and round with the weapons extended. This technique seemed to work as Druddigon was either bashed in the face or socked in the gut when it got too close and Scarlet exhaled as the pokemon was forced into a wall. With all his might, he broke the weapons against its skull before jumping high into the air.

"Eat this!" he cried and swung his arms down. Automatically, the roof exploded as two gigantic stone fists came down on Druddigon's body, smashing it into the ground with a ground-shaking tremor. To Scarlet's shock, the pillars had in fact been blocked by Druddigon's wings yet again and the pokemon made a noise like laughter before flexing its wings, pushing the pillars upwards and making them crumble loudly.

"Give up. No matter what power you use, my strengthened Druddigon will never lose!" the man mocked and pointed to him. "End this, Druddigon. Superpower."

"Oh shit," Scarlet muttered as Druddigon's muscles flexed again and began to waft a reddish aura. With a growl, Druddigon shot forward at amazing speed and got right up to Scarlet within nanoseconds before throwing a punch down on him. Thinking quickly, Scarlet dodged and stumbled back as another fist came from behind and grazed his back. Again, the next punch came and he summoned a stone slab up to his face to block the attack before summoning another one to bash against Druddigon's belly from below. The slab came...but it scattered against its muscular abdomen and Scarlet bit back a comment on how overrated steroids were compared to this.

Seconds later, Scarlet was tiring with each dodge and it wasn't too long before he made a wrong step and gasped as Druddigon's knee kissed his stomach with crushing power and speed that sent him into the air. Its hand gripped his face before smashing him back down again and he coughed out blood as he felt his body jolt. Instincts rattling, he rolled away in time to dodge Druddigon's incoming foot.

_It's strength, size and speed have definitely gone up,_ he inwardly deduced as Druddigon initiated another crushing round of close quarters fighting._ If this keeps up, I won't survive the next round of attacks!_

Jumping back, he sent pillar after pillar against the dragon only for it to smash each one as it stepped forward slowly. Seeing as the pokemon wasn't ready to be stopped, Scarlet sent the last pillar before forming a gigantic javelin and hurling it at the pokemon's gut. Just as Druddigon caught the weapon, a hammer made of hardened earth and rock was brought down on its skull repeatedly until Scarlet had sent its head deep into the ground. Determined to end it, he began whipping his arms wildly, causing sand to flow from all directions and engulf the dragon again.

"Exploding Sand Coffin!" he yelled and clenched his fists sharply. The sand exploded loudly, sending wind and debris flying around the room and Scarlet waited for it to die down before relaxing as he spotted Druddigon's seemingly-lifeless body. Panting at the slight strain Ground-boost brought on him along with his injuries, Scarlet staggered out of the hall and back into the reception to face the veiled man.

"I'm impressed."

"I can easily take you down here." Scarlet smirked. "But at least tell me why you're so hell bent on going through with that psychotic plan of yours."

"For the sake of perfection, Scarlet. No more, no less." The man pointed to the chandelier high above them. "Now I'll be collecting that book, please."

"Oh? What makes you think that?" Scarlet asked and put a hand on his hip.

"I'll pay you," the man offered and spread his arms wide. "All the riches of Arjrabal will be yours if you spare yourself the trouble and leave quietly."

Scarlet didn't waste any time considering it. "No. I'm kind of on a mission of my own right now that involves pleasing a ditz for 49.5 million pokedollars. If I turn it down for Arjrabal's riches then it won't look too good for my commitment record and White'll probably hate me and make us split. Also, sure your money's good and all...but I bet it's defunct in the outside world since you guys are so secluded. Then, there's no fun in just getting money right off the bat. Plus, my big sister told me to never accept money from strangers as they could be possible rapists."

The man didn't laugh. "So be it. I'll make this place your grave."

"Heh! You and what army?" Scarlet scoffed and instantly regretted that statement as two clawed hands grabbed his legs and flung him high into the air. In that split-second, he saw something glisten under the man's cloak and his eyes widened upon realising that Druddigon was still standing.

"See you in the afterlife, Scarlet," he heard the man declare and a sharp pain ran flooded Scarlet's mind as something swift and sharp went through his chest. Looking down, he noticed the crossbow in his attacker's arms and his eyes shrank at the extremely long spike sticking through his chest. Time returned to normal and he found himself lying sideways against the floor, watching his blood mix with the sand like those fallen gladiators back in Roman coliseums. The veiled man strutted up to him before grabbing hold of the deadly spike and wrenching it out forcefully. That was pretty much the finishing blow as Scarlet's bleeding became more profuse.

Feeling life slowly drain with each stream of blood, the teen barely felt his head being lifted up to face his soon-to-be murderer. Even with his dulling eyesight, he could make out the pale eyes that seemed to be staring at him with a mixture of...sadness, pity and guilt? Those were odd.

"Forgive me Scarlet," the man whispered and everything started going black. "Please...forgive me."

And with that, Scarlet's body fell limp as all life left him totally.

* * *

_Grand Library, Arjrabal Central._

White jumped back as her opponent's arm smashed against the floor before her.

"What happened to your pokemon?" she exclaimed, puzzled and shocked at its sudden and horrific boost in speed and power. Not to mention muscle mass.

_Let's recap shall we?_

_White had rushed into the library to find Nella and Bu fending off the murderer and his fighting-type pokemon, a Conkeldurr. The former seemed to have been reaching their limits so White entered the fray with Emboar, aiming to save Nella and Bu and hopefully capture the man. In time, they successfully knocked Conkeldurr out and cornered the man. Khan and his team had also gathered and formed a half-crescent against the man, trapping him against the wall. Yes, they had finally captured the murderer and all seemed to be going well._

_Until he pulled out a blue orb and smashed it against his fallen pokemon's back._

_Let's just say that all hell had broken loose as the pokemon had morphed into an extremely grotesque, raging mass of pure destruction (akin to the Hulk) and with a battle cry that bested Exploud, Conkeldurr had charged towards the small army and was beating people and pokemon left and right in a crazed frenzy._

_Recap ended._

So that was how White found herself doing her best to dodge the attacking monster.

"Emboar, Take Down!" she cried as Conkeldurr swung a pillar at her. From the side, her Mega Fire Pig rammed against Conkeldurr and pushed it all the way to the far end of the library before hammering its face with Hammer Arms. Unfortunately, the pokemon let go of its pillars and grabbed her arms before overpowering her and giving her a nasty headbutt that made her stagger back, dizzy.

By the time she had recovered, Conkeldurr had gotten closer to her and jammed his fist into her gut before grabbing her arm and throwing her through some bookcases.

"Emboar, are you okay?!" her trainer cried, running up to the pokemon. Emboar put a hand out, trying to signal to her that she should stop but she was too late as Conkeldurr landed before White and raised a mighty fist into the air.

"Die!" the masked man cried and Conkeldurr's fist came down again with pulverizing force and White would've surely died had it not been for Khan who had come from the side and thrown himself at White, pushing both her and himself away from the crater-forming attack.

"You're not hurt, right?" he asked.

"No. Thank you," she mumbled quickly as they both scrambled to their feet.

"Only doing this because I don't want Nella to get sad," he muttered as Krookodile came back to his side. Conkeldurr looked to the two people in front and the redhead princess behind him before grinning madly.

"Let's take it down, Bu!" she cried and Bu roared his affirmative before charging a pulsating Hyper Beam in his mouth. Conkeldurr made to move out of the way but stopped as Krookodile locked its long jaws down on its arm. Emboar appeared from behind and grabbed the pokemon's other arm while several Krokorok held on to its feet, rendering it completely immobile.

"Fire!" everyone cried. Bu arched back and shot the devastating beam that tore up the ground below and threw rocks into the air. With a loud boom, the attack hit Conkeldurr square in the chest and exploded loudly, sending the other pokemon flying. Just before Emboar hit the ground, White had promptly unclipped her pokeball and called her back with the red beam.

"Did we...?" Nella huffed as everyone peered into the smoke. Unfortunately, one person got too close and screamed as a large fist shot forward and crashed into his chest, breaking his bones and launching him far, far away where he virtually splattered against the wall. Nella watched the gruesome sight with wide eyes before jerking her head back to the smoke at the sound of more screaming. Suddenly, a pillar flew forward and bashed Bu in the face, sending him stumbling back and thus, leaving Nella unprotected. Conkeldurr's hulking frame appeared as the smoke cleared and it raised the other pillar, blocking a snap of Krookodile's jaws again.

The stunned girl watched as Krookodile was pummelled into the ground and she barely noticed her initial attacker sneak up from behind and make a grab at her. The notion was blocked however as the veiled man had to jump away from the vicious swing of Khan's sword.

"Nella! Run!" Khan yelled and locked swords with the man. "Get out of here!"

Unfortunately, the girl was still too shocked to move and before long, Conkeldurr was standing before with its arms raised and ready to grab her.

"Nella!" Khan yelled.

"Princess!" some of the men called.

_Move!_ she screamed to her own still body. _Move! Please!_

Conkeldurr's hand were just about landing on her when White's killer right fist came from nowhere and landed right into Conkeldurr's big, red nose, sending it far back and into a wall. The white-haired trainer panted for a brief moment before turning to Nella with a stern expression.

"Please excuse me," she stated quickly and promptly slapped the redhead on her right cheek so hard that the sound echoed through the now-silent library. That however seemed to do the trick as Nella found her feet again and jumped back before touching the reddening spot.

"Thank you," she mumbled hesitantly.

"Don't mention it," White replied and turned to the slowly rising Conkeldurr. "Sorry. I never meant any harm."

The pokemon stared at her for a minute before tensing again as she started towards it.

"What're you-" Khan was about asking when he felt his enemy's blade shift and lunge at him. With sharp movements, he parried the blows while trying to keep his eyes on the girl whose eyes had gone eerily purple.

"You're in pain, aren't you?" she asked, extending a hand to the pokemon who quickly shifted back and growled. "Those markings are actually stinging you. It must hurt a lot."

Conkeldurr's growl softened a little as its expression changed to that of curiosity. How did this girl know?

"I see the way you've been moving and it's kind of restricted. A fighting-type's movements are much more fluid unless they're under a lot of stress...or pain..." White extended a hand and gently placed it against Conkeldurr's sepia-coloured skin, feeling it stiffen in slight pain. "Why don't you stop? You yourself don't want to do this, do you?"

The pokemon shook its head slowly and uttered some small statements (gibberish to most but slightly understandable to people like White).

"I see. You're doing this for your master despite the pain he's causing you," she muttered and drew closer to the pokemon. "But you're at your limit. I may not be your master, but as a human first and trainer second, I will help you."

With that, she stepped away from the pokemon as Jolteon snuck out from behind and sent a powerful Thunderbolt into its back, making it scream loudly and fall on its belly. Slowly, the markings vanished and the blue glow at its back crackled loudly before shutting off totally. In seconds, Conkeldurr coughed out a small blue orb and returned to normal shape and size before passing out with a contented expression.

"Amazing..." Nella muttered in spite of herself. "She beat it..."

"No. Conkeldurr simply tired out and we took that chance to strike," White explained and turned to the veiled man who had jumped away from Khan and was now standing above them on a balcony. "Forcing your pokemon to go through such torture is a horrible thing to do and you should be ashamed of yourself."

The man huffed and sheathed his blade. "I'll just have to write Conkeldurr off as a species too weak to handle the orb's power," he muttered to himself but made sure he was loud enough for the people close by to hear. "Perhaps Dragon-types are better suited to the task."

"You're still planning on making your pokemon suffer?!" Nella barked sharply, getting his attention. "You heartless murderer! Are you even human?!"

"I should say the same for you arrogant Arjrabalians," he laughed and matched Nella's glare with his own. "Treating foreigners like scum and whatnot. Who're you to talk? How're you no different from me?"

That statement seemed to have affected Nella as she found her tongue going dry.

"So you are a foreigner, aren't you," Khan growled and pointed his sword to the man. "The princess has no need to answer the likes of you. Now give it up since we've got you surrounded."

"Foreigner..." the man echoed and tugged on the cloth round his neck. "You could say I am...and you could say I'm not at the same time. I'll leave you to figure that out. In the meantime, a cohort of mine seems to have found what I'm looking for."

"Cohort? There's more of you?!" Nella exclaimed.

"Quite, princess. That aside, he seems to have accidentally killed a friend of yours over the fight for what we were looking for and he sends his apologies."

The group tilted their heads in wonder. Who exactly was he talking about-

"Was it a boy?"

Everyone turned to see White staring at him with expectant eyes.

"A boy with a scar on his face?" she elaborated and Nella felt her knees going weak. It couldn't have been-

"Quite accurate, girl. You know him?"

The room was silent before Nella slowly sank to her knees with tears welling up in her eyes. This couldn't be happening. This just couldn't be happening.

However, to everyone's surprise, White chuckled and smirked up at the man.

"Tell your friend to do a double take. As long as I'm breathing, I doubt he'd die so easily."

The man tilted his head. "Hm?"

"How're you so sure?" Nella muttered haltingly.

Jolteon crouched low and growled as White's eyes blazed brilliant purple now.

"I only need one confirmation," she stated and the ground started to tremor slightly. "Did your friend use a dragon-type?"

* * *

_Old Palace Ruins._

The veiled man and his Druddigon watched as blue energy swirled around Scarlet's body. Slowly, the hole in his chest started to close and his arms twitched restlessly before pressing against the ground, sending a gigantic, dragon-shaped pillar at the surprised Druddigon.

"Boost Mix Initiated," his gloves beeped. "Dragon Boost activated. Enhancing current Ground Boost."

"Ah, finally," the ravenette sighed and sat up with like nothing had ever happened. "That blue orb was really blocking me from absorbing Druddigon's DNA but the gloves have finally gotten past that now."

"I-impossible..." the man stuttered. "How...?"

Scarlet slowly got to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. "Man, that was close. I guess I got a little careless back there."

"You should be dead!" the man yelled and Druddigon charged forward with intense killing intent. "Are foreigners this monstrous? Die already!"

"No can do!" Scarlet smirked and slammed his hands into the ground before literally lifting it up like a carpet, making Druddigon lose its balance and fall back painfully. "Could you believe I forgot that Ground Boost gives me immense strength? I'm really turning into an airhead."

"Focus Blast!" his attacker cried and Druddigon sent a blue cannonball of energy at Scarlet who kicked forward and ran straight for the attack with his arm drawn into a punching position. Instantly, rocks accumulated round his arm until a colossal stone fist formed and with a roar of his own, Scarlet volleyed the destructive ball back at Druddigon. The attack hit its mark and triggered a heavy explosion that rocked Western Arjrabal again.

Druddigon skidded back again before sinking to one knee in pain.

"The energy is running out...I have to hurry," the man muttered and pointed to the chandelier. "Druddigon! Get me to that chandelier!"

Grunting, the Cave Pokemon let him hop on its back before spreading its morphed wings and flying upwards. However-

"I was waiting for that!"

The two looked to the side to see Scarlet shooting upwards on a rising pillar that seemed to match Druddigon's flying speed. But what they were more worried about was the massive stone baseball bat (complete with a Babe Ruth signature) he wielded in his arms. Smirking, he jumped off the pillar and towards the pokemon before giving a yell and swinging the object at them so hard, it was enough to break Druddigon's wings and send it spiralling back to the ground.

"Let's finish this!" he yelled and clapped his hands together Edward-Elric-Style before raising them high into the air and bringing them down. As he did so, Hammer-shaped pillars rained down from the roof, walls and floors and subjected both Druddigon and its master to the worst beatdown they had ever experienced. By the time they landed back on the ground, Druddigon had lost nearly all its muscle mass and was beginning to convulse from the pain. The markings were also beginning to fizzle off too with a steam-emanating hiss.

"M-monster..." the man blurted weakly as Scarlet landed gracefully before them. "I-I can still...fight!"

On cue, Druddigon slowly rose in spite of itself and gave a low roar.

"Geez. You're already at your limit and you still wanna fight?" the hunter sighed and made an exasperated face. "Ah well. You've lost anyway." With that, he snapped his fingers and the ceiling around the hanging chandelier above snapped off, causing the ornament to crash heavily onto the unsuspecting pokemon's glowing back, making it scream and fall heavily. With a series of coughs, it spat out the blue orb and returned to normal before passing out gratefully.

"N-no way..." the veiled man stuttered. "Monster..."

Scarlet picked the items out of the chandelier and tucked them under his arm before snapping his fingers twice. In a second, his attacker gasped as the sand underneath his feet reared up and swallowed him up to his neck before hardening into stone.

"Checkmate," he replied and struck the man's neck, knocking him unconscious. "I should say case closed...but you're clearly not working alone." With that, he pulled out the radio receiver and crushed it before taking the rock encasing unconscious man and his pokemon and hefting it over his shoulder with ease. "But for now, I think it's safe to take you in for questioning."

And with that, he blew the doors open and strolled out into the weedy walkway before looking back at the ruins.

"Can't believe I fought while keeping this place standing," he remarked and tapped his foot twice. The building started to tremble before slowly coming down and caving in. "Now it looks like proper ruins."

And the teen skipped out of the area and began his long walk back to Arjrabal Central, whistling all the way and ignoring the bizarre looks he got from the pedestrians passing by.

* * *

_Grand Library, Arjrabal Central._

"Oh dear, looks we're going to witness an interesting turn of events..." the veiled man muttered and sheathed his blade. "Your friend is strong. But he won't be enough to stop me. Rest assured, Princess Nella. I will get what I need."

The ground before them split in that instant and his Druddigon appeared from below before jumping up to the balcony and landing beside the man.

"I believe this is where we part for now," he called and pulled out another orb before jamming it into Druddigon's back. With a scream, the dragon increased in size and before arching forward as its wings became far longer and broader, suitable for flying.

"Stop him!" Khan ordered to the rest of his team. "Or else he's gonna get away!"

"Too late for that!" the man sneered as Druddigon raised a finger. Everyone's eyes widened as it formed a swirling blue mass and casually dropped it upon them. The exploding Focus Blast rocked everyone off their feet and left a massive crater in the ground with a thick, black haze billowing out. From the black smoke, Nella saw Druddigon take off with her attacker on its back and grit her teeth at the fact that she couldn't catch up to him as Bu was temporarily out of commission.

"Wait!" she cried, at least hoping for one final piece of information. "What is your true goal? Why are you tormenting Arjrabal?!"

"_Torment_?" he shot back and gave a evil laugh. "The so-called torment hasn't even begun, Princess! As for my goal...I'll just say that we both have the same interests at heart!"

The redhead froze. Same interests at heart...? What did he mean?

"And with that, I shall see again. And on that chosen day, it shall be Arjrabal's last!"

Druddigon opened his jaws wide and fired a large Dragon Pulse that blew a hole in the ceiling right as the man gave his parting sentence. Watching her enemy escape before her very eyes, she clenched her fists as the fear finally soaked in and with a cry of anguish, slammed both hands into the ground.

"Damn you..." she cursed and threw her maddened blue eyes up at the mysterious man's shrinking form. "_RuuH fi sittiin alf dahya_*! Bastard!"

**-END OF CHAPTER V-**

* * *

**TR:**

_**Khara*** - Shit. Literally speaking._

_**RuuH fi sittiin alf dahya*** - Kinda like saying "May you pass through 60000 hells." _


	6. Unmasked

**VI**

_Grand Palace. Arjrabal Central. 5:14 PM_

Scarlet sighed deeply as he felt Nella's glowing arms stroke his wounds gingerly, sealing them up with a gentle hiss.

"Thanks," he muttered and looked away in slight embarrassment at the somewhat frightened look in her eyes. "C'mon. My scars aren't that horrible..."

Finally realising that her stare was making him uncomfortable, she quickly turned her head away and placed her trembling hands back on her laps. "I'm sorry...I just never saw something like that before..."

"Well, you don't exactly get injured in paradise, do you?" he joked and arched an eyebrow at her sudden melancholic expression. "Did I strike another nerve?"

The girl shook her head before handing him a simple green cloak. Grateful, he accepted the item and slipped it over his naked torso, muttering stuff about how he preferred it to the previous "revealing" top he had been forced to wear.

"Does it hurt?"

Scarlet stopped his musing and tilted his head. Nella stretched a hand out and rested it against his chest.

"The scars...do they hurt? Because I can take them off if you want." Slowly, she dragged her hand across his midsection. "It must've been hard walking around with such horrific things all over you. They must make you feel raw..."

The ravenette's green eyes narrowed a little. "You talk like someone who knows about this. Perhaps our beautiful princess has secrets of her own." Folding his arms, he leaned back against the stone walls and squinted at the evening sun. "The scars hurt...strange isn't it. But it's not like they really hurt. It's more of an emotional thing."

"I see," Nella mumbled and sat on the furry couch beside him. "By the way, thank you for catching that man's cohort. We plan to unmask him when he comes to."

"Then that won't be long," Scarlet stated matter-of-factly and tapped his chin. "I made sure to hit him in a spot that'll recover in roughly four hours. It's been three since that happened. One more hour to go."

"You're quite skilled in fighting. Almost like you were hunting a pokemon," Nella chuckled softly, earning a flustered glance from the hunter. "That's probably why you've got those scars..."

"You're not too far from the truth," he sweatdropped and ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, how're the others doing after the big fight?"

"Despite the explosions and terrible injuries, no one died...thankfully," she exhaled and smiled at her laps. "But we have White to thank for that. She worked wonders in calming that raging Conkeldurr down..."

"Well, that's airhead for ya," he chuckled with a hint of pride lacing his tone. "Never stopping to wow people with her ditzy awesomeness."

"Awesomeness?" Nella echoed and gave a coy smile. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Scarlet mulled over the question before feeling his face grow hot. "Hey! I-I didn't mean awesomeness as in beautiful, confident and dreamy! I-I just meant the cool, strong, tough and stupid kind of awesomeness, you know! W-wait! Is this a trick question? C-cos I don't l-l-like her or anything? Ah jeez, where the hell is all this coming from?!"

Nella's pretty laughs rang throughout the empty halls and Scarlet ended his pink-faced rant with a sigh before smiling at her.

"Did that help to ease your sadness?" he asked and she stopped abruptly before throwing a smile of her own back at him.

"A little, yeah. I'm surprised you could tell."

"It's in the eyes," he elaborated. "It's not like I care or anything...but as White's friend...I guess I should just ask what's on your mind. And please don't turn it into some sad story."

Nella huffed and crossed her arms before sinking into the soft grips of the cushions. "I was afraid. Does that answer your question?"

The ravenette's silent stare was a clear indicator for her to elaborate.

"You see, I honestly didn't know what to do when that attacker came for me again. At first I thought Bu and I could beat him if we tried hard enough...but we were no match. Just like the night when he first attacked us. When I saw him pull out that incomplete blue orb and use it on his pokemon, I was sure we were done for. I panicked. I couldn't even move when his pokemon was going to crush me...I could've died..."

"If not for White..." Scarlet chipped.

"Yeah, if not for White." Nella nodded and her eyes fell. "Still, I can't believe I was scared. After all those years of training and psyching myself up every day...only for him to come and bash my self-confidence again and again. I'd never felt so helpless when I met him...never...and I hated him for it. It's thanks to him that everyone keeps going through a lot to protect me when I'm in a tight spot. Do you know how hard it is feeling like some helpless object that needs defending? It's terrible..."

"Then the princess life must really suck for someone like you," Scarlet mused loudly. "Having to order servants and subjects out and about. Really, I wouldn't have minded having people at my beck and call."

The redhead's eyes narrowed and she sat up straighter to meet his annoying smirk. "You don't know what it's like. If that's your view on royalty then your way of thinking is severely limited."

"Oh?" Scarlet's smile turned mockingly curious. "Enlighten me, Nella. What kind of unspeakable horrors does the princess of paradise go through?"

"If you must know, I'll answer your question with one of mine," she huffed. "How would it feel having to memorise every single piece of this small nation's ancient history? Mind you, its 180 fat books long."

"That much? How old is this place?" he asked, trying not to sound surprised.

Smirking, Nella continued. "Then as the only surviving heir, I'm charged with knowing my subordinates inside out, I have to know the names of all the council members, spokespersons, messengers, guards and servants. It's a rule that one such as myself must know how to act under external pressure from foreigners and internal problems within the city too. Do you know how hard it is to defend yourself from greedy council members who try to overthrow you with words? I have verbal battles every day. You just haven't been seeing it because the murderer's case has pried their attention away from me...for now."

"Sounds troublesome," Scarlet muttered.

"Oh, I haven't even started!" Nella cut in and began counting several responsibilities off with her fingers. "Physical training, mental scans and face offs with psychic-type pokemon, getting lectured by an Alakazam, sparring with Bu on a daily basis, receiving tutorials on being more lady-like by some aristocratic hags with way too much superiority complex, overseeing the construction of more buildings in Arjrabal, attending several meetings on the current management of our water supply, making sure that privileges and special benefits are equally distributed among the old and orphaned etc. I won't launch into the other three quarters of my duties."

"Okay okay! I get it already," he sighed, amazed at all the work she had ahead of her. "If you do that much then I wonder how the sultan must feel."

"Very, very stressed, I'll tell you that," the redhead remarked and fingered the collar on her neck. It was starting to get uncomfortable and Scarlet had noticed that, owing to her frequent throat clearing.

"Is it a rule for you to wear tight bands on your neck too?" he asked. "Cos I'm pretty sure it's the reason for your recent irritability."

Nella's perplexed expression softened and she shook her head slowly. "It's...a punishment..."

"...Go figure," he remarked and smiled. "So even princess perfect has her bad side."

"Shut up!" she hissed. "I only got this because I stayed out too late."

"Doing what?" he interjected.

"...Visiting the children at the slums..." she muttered very lowly. Was that embarrassment in her tone?

"And?" he pressed, earning a surprised look from the girl. "What? Got something on my face?"

Nella leaned closer and peered at him with doubtful eyes. "You're...not making fun of me?"

"For...? I fail to see where this is going-"

"Yes!" she yelled and flung herself at him, much to his surprise. "Someone who finally approves!"

"Hey! What the hell?!" he choked, gripping her shoulders and holding her at arm's length. "What're you talking about?"

"You don't get it, do you? It's kinda forbidden for a princess/shrine maiden to associate with the 'Unclean' aka outsiders. Unfortunately, I don't believe in that so against my uncle's wishes, I enrolled as a caretaker for an orphanage in the slums!" she explained, puffing her chest in slight pride.

"And you probably got caught and in his loving wisdom, had you leashed with an uncomfortable collar. Just because you associated with the poorer citizens of Arjrabal," Scarlet giggled and dodged a punch to the shoulder.

"It's not funny!" she retorted childishly and threw a pout. "Uncle said Aleph's collar was for my own safety..."

"You obviously disapprove. I'm sure you've got friends at the slums that you badly need to see."

Nodding slowly, the girl leaned back again and fingered the crystal on the collar. "I miss them. But thanks to this stupid collar, I have to cut my time with them short and it's not like I'm allowed to invite all of them into Arjrabal Central. It's not fair...but at least I've got Bu and Mana..."

Speaking of which, I haven't seen that guy all day, Scarlet remarked inwardly before noticing that forlorn look in Nella's eyes again. "What's _**really**_ on your mind?"

Nella opened her mouth to speak but shut it back with a shake of her head.

"Is it something you think is stupid?" he pressed. "Because it's often the considerably-pointless thoughts that require the most attention."

Nella's expression turned to shock and she looked at Scarlet curiously. "My brother used to say that..."

"I know," the ravenette smirked and pulled out a book. "Celikk's diary. I found it when I was snooping around in the old palace's ruins-Hold on, red!" He raised the book away from her incoming swipe, watching her frown in annoyance before wagging a finger. "I'll show you when you tell me what's been bothering you all this time."

The girl hesitated at first but after some minutes of silence, parted her lips and looked away. "I'm...not satisfied with the current Arjrabal..."

Scarlet arched an eyebrow. "Why? I thought this place was the paradise everyone wanted. I'm even sure it's become better than it was before the fire."

"Well...yes...it is certainly better...but that's only in structure. Sure it looks great on the outside...but what I'm talking about is the system it's in."

Confused, Scarlet only kept silent and pushed her on with his eyes.

"Arjrabal is paradise," she sighed. "...but it's not perfect."

"...Perfect..." he echoed and Nella nodded.

"It's citizens are divided, power is only allocated to those with money, pokemon are turned into weapons for defence and now offence too in a city were war and violence was just as foreign before the fire as the desert nomads or descendants of the Vale and blood is painting our halls because of some psychotic murderer. That is not the Arjrabal that it used to be."

"So what you're saying is; this city's internal structure isn't something to write home about and as a result, taints this dream-like utopia outsiders have of the city?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes. As you can see, Khan hates foreigners. Pokemon are being used to injure people and I'm not being allowed to interact with anyone of non-Arjrabalian status. Hell, I can't even talk with _lower-class_ Arjrabalians or pet their pokemon without getting a nasty look from a guard or a councilman. Equality does not exist here anymore. People and pokemon are given social ranks and are therefore forced into castes, hindering them from effectively interacting with those in classes higher or lower. I've tried to set things straight...but the high-class people of this nation got a little drunk of their current paradise and like a flash, harvested the seeds of corruption within their hearts."

"They don't wanna change because they feel that if privileges are distributed equally, they'll get less of what they're already enjoying..." Scarlet muttered and closed his eyes with a sigh. "They don't want to go back to the good old days when everything was equal."

"Exactly!" Nella exclaimed. "And that's why Arjrabal lacks perfection! If those Tepig-headed aristocrats could just see the truth in all this and accept the foreigners and lower classes then there'd be no cause for false accusations or suspicion. If they could just understand that...then Arjrabal will be true paradise again. Perfection meant to be enjoyed by its citizens, be they Arjrabalian or outsider."

The silence that followed was a bit uncomfortable and Nella had to twirl her hair as she waited for Scarlet's reply. Said teen still had his eyes closed, fiddling with the book in his hands. Before she knew it, he turned to her with a straight face and locked his deep green eyes onto her sky-blue ones.

"Nella," he began and the girl shuddered at the sudden coldness in his voice. "What you are experiencing now is something that every nation must possess, whether their leaders like it or not. You made it sound like all this sprung up from nowhere but the truth is that equality never existed in this country to begin with. Arjrabalians will continue to claim their status and feel more privileged than the foreigners who set foot in their land and no matter how hard they try, Arjrabalians -low or high- will always see foreigners as just that. Foreigners. Even their pokemon, after seeing their masters, will eventually behave in a similar fashion. But then again, it's only natural for living things to be wary of things they don't trust or understand. Just like a trainer and his pokemon when they first meet. Depending on its nature, the time it will take that pokemon to trust its human partner may vary. Some, hours. Others, days. But that's what makes this world truly the way it is. Normal. Do you understand what I've said so far?"

With narrowed eyes, the princess nodded slowly and opened her mouth to object when he pressed a finger to her lips.

"Sorry. I'm not finished," he stated and withdrew his hand. "If there's one thing I know, it's that stuff like utopia does not exist. I almost doubted the saying when we came to this place but that attacker I remembered running into on the very first day snapped me out of it. Nella, Arjrabal was great. It still is and in terms of infrastructure, management and health, it's possibly unrivalled. As for the people and pokemon, I can't say they're model citizens...but I will gladly tell you that their attitude is the general norm displayed by every city, region and continent in the world. If you think what you're going through is problematic, wait till you get to Kanto where criminal organisations are the usual talk of the day. Arjrabal should be considered lucky that this murder case is pretty much the only piece of bad news they've ever experienced."

"Are you saying my nation is not under some kind of crisis?" she asked, edgy at the thought of him understating her problems.

"Of course not," Scarlet corrected. "The guy obviously needs to be brought down. But what I'm saying is that Arjrabal won't become any better than it already is. Sure, you can expand and probably open up a little more but what else? I think you're just worrying for nothing, Nella. Because no matter how hard you try, you can't make the Arjrabalians see foreigners as brothers and sisters. At least not to a super-close, blood-bound level. There will be the occasional few who will accept them happily and without question. But they will be rare, considering how haughty you say they've become."

Nella's breathing accelerated and she got to her feet with balled fists. "Are you kidding me?! Are all my efforts just going to waste?!"

"Nope," he replied indifferently. "You've done well to keep them from outright attacking each other. But you see, equality between these citizens of Arjrabal will never come. Their individual differences are just too much. And that is why Arjrabal will never reach perfection. It simply doesn't exist in this world."

"Lies!" she spat. "I can change Arjrabal! If I work hard enough, push my uncle more, then I'm sure! I'm sure...that this city shall see perfection...I'm sure of it."

"Your eyes say otherwise," he simply stated and earned a hiss from the girl as she turned her back to him in a sulk. _She's a princess alright_, he inwardly remarked. Resulting to pouting when she doesn't have her way. "Nella, you're a 17 year old princess, not some 65 year old hag. You know as well as I do that you're overworking yourself. I normally don't say this...but play around a little more. Have even more fun. Fly around with Bu, kick Khan in the nuts or check if Mana is really a guy. **Live** like a teenager and stop concerning yourself with philosophical bullshit that's strictly reserved for the old, insane or both."

Silence.

Silence.

Slowly, Nella turned to him and did her best to keep a straight face but failed horribly as a small, nervous smile broke out across her face. "You sound like an old man yourself."

"What can I say? I'm just too experienced with life for my own good," he joked and pulled closer to her. "You've had enough punishment. I think this collar is starting to get SM-ish."

Gasping as he took hold of it, she sharply pulled back and clasped her hands around the band, shaking her head. "Don't do it," she stammered. "Not only will my head feel stabbed with a thousand Beedrill needles, but it'll also go off and alert the psychic-type pokemon in the vicinity. I'm okay with the collar...it'll probably get removed by tomorrow...I guess..."

Though sceptical at first, the ravenette nodded in acknowledgement and held out the book. "I'll explain its contents when we call a meeting later tonight. For now, I've gotta make sure White isn't off doing something stupid with Jolteon. Can't believe I left the poor guy with her for hours."

"Wait!" she called and eyed his chest. "You didn't tell me if I should heal your scars..."

Scarlet's cool stare matched her inquisitive ones before he shook his head slowly. "These scars are my identity. They remind me of who I am and how imperfect I've made myself to be. It's funny but without them...I'd feel incomplete."

Nella mulled over his statement before giggling, much to his annoyance. "You're weird."

"I'm just Scarlet," he replied and together, they walked out of the room.

* * *

"He's awake!" White cried, slamming into the hallway. "C'mon guys!"

"Would it kill you to be less louder?" her raven-haired companion deadpanned as she grabbed his arm and began to pull. Nella followed at a close distance, heart pulsing with each step. They were finally going to know who this masked person was and get some info on his partner. Arjrabal's problems were going to be solved at last...yet why did she feel so uneasy?

Some minutes later, they entered the palace's conference room and seating before them with his hands and feet bound to the chair was the masked man who'd contributed to Nella's fears and insecurities.

"Leave us," she instructed and the guards bowed before taking their leave with their pokemon in tow. In a minute, only Nella, Bu, Khan, White, Jolteon and Scarlet were left in the room and Khan smirked at the masked man.

"It's over for you, murderer," he gloated and strode over to his side. "Cooperate with us and maybe we just might not behead you."

"They do that?" White whispered fearfully.

"Nope. No one really commits serious crimes here so we did away with capital punishment," Nella whispered back with a smile. "But that doesn't stop us from bringing it back up if the need arises."

Scarlet walked past the girls before stopping before the figure and running a hand through his hair. "Truthfully, I have a very good guess as to who you are. I'm also 95% sure that it's correct. Do you want to see his face when I unmask him, Nella?"

Swallowing, the girl nodded and held her breath as Scarlet took hold of the veil's hem.

"Hello," Scarlet began and tore the veil off with one swift tug. White hair sprawled around the suspect's pale face and his half-lidded eyes did little to hide the indifference welling up inside him. "_Mana._"

Everyone else froze.

Slowly, Nella's hands clasped over her trembling lips and White quickly extended an arm, catching her as she nearly collapsed. Khan, on the other hand, just stared at Mana's bowed head and grit his teeth.

"W-what the hell..." he stuttered. "What the hell is going on, Mana?!"

"It was pretty obvious to me," Scarlet chipped in and twirled the veil with a finger. "For starters, you were the one we first met back in the slums. I know that because you had an injury on your left leg. When I saw you dancing with White back at the party, you did the dance well but I noticed how much you relied more on your right leg. Then again, the dance required that you use your right more so I passed it off."

_Smooth_, Jolteon commented.

"Then I found another clue when you winced as you took that ancient scroll back during the meeting. The injury probably opened up after your vivid story-telling. Right?"

Mana didn't answer until Scarlet gave him a quick but soft kick on the left shin, getting a short gasp that served to affirm his suspicions.

"But the big give-away came while we were discussing the murderer's blue orb's genuineness. You asked why he still came after Nella and Bu with his two Druddigon despite having the blue orb."

"So?" Khan asked impatiently.

"Nella never told anyone about her getting attacked by a Druddigon much less two Druddigon in fact. Am I right?"

Nella nodded and, with much difficulty, looked up to view Mana again. "W...why?"

"I must say you're quite the smart guy, Scarlet," he cut in, voice noticeably different from what they were used to. "I took it for granted that no one noticed a nobody like me so my job would've been easier. Guess I got too careless."

"You got that right, rapist," Scarlet replied and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Honestly, I suspected you from the very beginning. Jolteon pretty much knew who you were when he first laid his black eyes on you, ain't that right buddy?"

From his shoulder, the electric dog barked and turned his nose in the air proudly.

"Too bad you can't use that nose of yours to get us to Twist Mountain-OW!" Rubbing his ear where Jolteon had nipped, the hunter turned back to Mana with a smirk. "You're a good actor, I'll give you that. Could've fooled me any day...could've fooled White too."

From her position, Nella stared at Scarlet before turning to White in confusion.

"Scarlet told me he got a hunch about Mana. Though he couldn't have been too sure, he warned me not to get too comfy with him," the trainer sighed and stared at the culprit. "I didn't believe it at first...I still wanted Mana to be seen as the good guy. Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you guys."

Khan watched the trainer let go of Nella before walking towards the chair where Mana sat.

"It's just like a classical good versus bad movie," the hunter remarked.

"And in those movies, there will always be two kinds of bad guys," White continued.

"The criminally insane who outright declare their evil intent to the world."

"-And the good-natured, mild-mannered person who has a darker side to his/her self."

The mysterious visitors stood before Mana and Scarlet put a finger on Mana's forehead. "You fall perfectly into that second slot. Epic fail, dude."

The room fell back into silence again before Bu's audible growl lit the air.

"I'm sure you must be hurt," White said soothingly and stroked the pokemon's neck. "But don't worry, Mana has his reasons. Right?"

Said boy glared at the trainer before turning to face Nella. "You must be surprised. Your royal best friend turns out to be the guy who nearly took your eye."

"And impaled me with a fat, king-sized needle," Scarlet deliberately coughed out.

"That too. But I assure you that I really meant no harm-"

"Are you kidding me?!" the princess screamed, cutting him off. "How could you do this? Why? After all we did together! And how could you mean no harm if you tried to TAKE my EYE?! You nearly killed me!"

"He wasn't going to kill you," Scarlet muttered. "Type 2 bad guys are often the weaker ones in the group who're pushed into crime by someone of higher influence, often with the threat of death...or a promise of certain value to the former. The little prick would've bandaged your eye and left before you could catch him. Then he'll probably dot over you when he's in servant mode."

"So he's not the real bad guy here," White said, trying to calm the flames steadily rising in the now-silent Khan. "He was probably pushed into it by the other guy."

"And that's where you're wrong, Miss White," Mana piped up casually and leaned back in his seat. "No one pushed me and I certainly got no promises either. I just became who I am today for the hell of it..."

"You bastard!" Khan cried and threw a punch only for Scarlet's palm to intercept the blow. "What? He clearly deserves it after all the emotional hell he's putting Nella through. She trusted you, dammit!"

Mana's silent reply and indifferent scowl only made the 19 year old boil the more.

"Easy, Khan. We still haven't done the main questioning yet," Scarlet murmured and Jolteon barked in accentuation. Sighing, Khan relax and the ravenette turned back to face Mana. "Make my day, Mana. Who's the other guy?"

"Hmph. If you read the book then you should know the answer," he replied.

"Fine then. I'm not too sure of that fact so I'll have to read it again. Next question, is it just you two or are there more?"

Mana threw a smug look before shrugging. "Beats me."

"I'll take that as a yes," Scarlet replied curtly and Nella buckled. Two were more than enough trouble already. "Though I'm sure they're ingrained into the higher class of Arjrabal. You two must be the only ones doing the dirty work."

"Mostly because it's fat councilmen that make up the other guys," the culprit spat and smiled. "Oops."

"What?!" Nella yelled. "Some councilmen are in on this too? But why?!"

"Er, I think it's called envy, princess," Scarlet deadpanned and folded his arms. "They're uncomfortable with having a leader who might actually change Arjrabal for the better. I'm sure they're funding the experiments to create blue orbs."

"Landorus-dammit!" Khan hissed. "Was Arjrabal always like this?"

"Based on how old this case may seem then probably yes," White spoke up and chewed her lip. "I wanna know something, Mana. The same guy who killed Celikk and caused the fire...is it this other person you're working with?"

The white-haired boy stared at her before slowly nodding. "Yeah...I knew all along..."

Only then did Khan's fist make direct contact with his cheek and Scarlet had to push the enraged young man back before he could strangle Mana.

"Bastard! How can you associate with the man who ruined Arjrabal! Wasn't it his fault that your parents died! How do you think they'd feel?!" he screamed, struggling against Scarlet's hold. Upon the ravenette's hard gaze, his rage dissolved and he found his throat growing bitter with betrayal. "Do you know how we feel..? I know I'm not that close to you anymore but you could have at least considered Nella..."

White was sure she saw a small spark of guilt in Mana's eyes before he lowered his head, shielding his expression with his long white hair.

"You people will never understand..." he muttered. "I've answered your questions. If you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone with Nella. Please."

"Are you-" Khan was about retorting when White held up a hand and nodded to Scarlet who tisked before nodding back and turning to the door.

"Bu will stay with her," he stated matter-of-factly and walked out. Taking Khan's hand, White led the baffled man out the door before taking one look at Nella.

"Be strong. He has a good reason for all this," she whispered and shut the door behind her.

...

"What's your take on this, White?" Scarlet asked as he leaned against the wall.

"Like I said earlier, Mana's not the real bad guy here," she replied calmly, watching Khan pace back and forth. "I'm sure he wants Nella to know that. Hopefully, he'll apologise too and maybe their friendship might be renewed-"

"There is no way we're taking that traitor back as a friend," Khan interjected sharply and continued pacing.

Scarlet shrugged indifferently. "Whatever. Nella had better be done soon because we need to call a meeting. Mana included."

"But he's the enemy!" Khan pointed out. "Why would we let someone like him join us!"

"Because he'll be the one to confirm the evidence I found," the hunter said coolly and folded his arms. "By the way, you need to take a chill pill."

"Huh?"

"Mana most likely joined up with that guy because he was being treated wrongly by the Arjrabalians themselves. If that was the case then it's partially your fault, racist," he elaborated and smirked as the older teen heated up. "What? It's true. I heard you calling him a half-breed and I did some snooping around. Turns out that mixed breeds are treated worse than foreigners themselves. Can't say why but I think it's dumb and with him being one of the extremely few half-breeds in this city, it's no surprise that he caved in and wanted revenge."

"That makes sense," White murmured and looked down sadly. "But he doesn't look like the type of person to do these kinds of things."

"True. When he skewered me, he was whispering for my forgiveness. Interesting."

Khan stayed silent and clenched his fists before turning to the halls. "I've had enough. I think I need some space to think so I won't be coming for the meeting."

"No problem, we weren't planning on including you in the first place since you're just a supporting character anyway," Scarlet remarked spitefully, earning a hateful glare from him as he left. On cue, the door opened and a distraught Nella walked out with her pokemon patting her shoulder in his effort to soothe her.

"What did he say?" White asked.

"In truth...it was mostly apologies...but he also told me the names of all the councilmen involved in this heinous plot. Servants are in on it too...though their own job is mostly to create those wretched orbs, whatever that meant..." she muttered and hung her head. "Their leader wants to tear the city apart...start a full-scale war...to overthrow my uncle and become the new sultan..."

The teens stared at her before White cast a perplexed look at the door.

"Is that it?" Scarlet asked. "Because I think he's either lying or was lied to by this boss of theirs."

Nella blinked. "Huh?"

"Think about it. The guy wants the final ingredient for the blue orb's completion so he can awaken Groudon and change the environment. We're not too sure if that's his real reason but it's safe to assume that. Now we're hearing that he wants to tear apart the very city he hopes to expand. Things aren't adding up," White explained and tapped her chin. "What is his real motive behind all this?"

"Ahem," Scarlet coughed and gestured to the hallway. "Meeting. Now."

* * *

Scarlet took the book from Nella and opened it, revealing the blank and not-so-blank pages.

"Took me a while to decipher it...but here's the first clue. Celikk's diary," he declared and flipped the pages. "I'll get straight to the point. On first glance, it seemed like a normal boy's diary complete with stuff ranging from bed-wetting to love interests."

White suppressed a giggle and Nella looked away in embarrassment.

"Brother...was special in the former aspect. He didn't stop bed-wetting till he was 13."

"I see." Scarlet smirked at Jolteon. "Someone still has problems with it once in a-OW! Moving on! As Celikk grew, his pages started making more sense and became more matured. After a while, he started writing about his wish to help Arjrabal. In time, he came across that story of its creation and began to delve into it. He wrote all his observations and hypotheses here. Up to the part where he even chanced upon the blue orb's mythology. As Aleph had said, he began work on its creation immediately, underlining the ingredients here."

"And they are?" White asked before looking to Nella. "If you don't mind of course."

"It's okay. Continue," she stated.

Nodding, Scarlet took a deep breath before reeling them out. "A water stone mined from the deepest sandy recesses of the earth's crust, shimmering sand, small diamonds and water. That's the first, normal half, suitable for creating a precious sapphire stone. Then the next part is where things get slightly creepy."

The girls and their pokemon nodded for him to continue.

Sighing, Scarlet drew closer and continued in a lower tone. "The second half as follows: a dragon pokemon's scale, a substantial amount of blood from the creator himself, a meteorite, and aura. Lots and lots of aura. The source doesn't seem to matter. Everything must be boiled in molten lava too."

"So...?" Nella asked. "What's the creepy part?"

"The orb needs a nearly impossible amount of aura taken from living things. This amount...is enough to drain the life-force of twenty people or pokemon completely, rendering them hollow and empty a.k.a death," he explained in a dead-serious tone and silence claimed the room as Nella's eyes went wide.

"Is...that why we have so many servants...?" she asked, remembering that some of them had taken sick leaves a week ago.

"That's also what Mana must've meant when he said that the servants were involved," White muttered.

"But that's not the main part Celikk was worried about," Scarlet stated and pointed to the large painting on the wall behind him. "It's the main, main components that really shook him up and made him cancel the project."

Everyone looked up and viewed the painting. It resembled the illustrations on the scroll they had viewed earlier.

"Legend has it that the Kami Trio actually submitted to Groudon in the past. When it disappeared to rest, they were left to roam free with Landorus now in charge. So in a sense, Groudon was the boss and it's only logical that it needs something from them to awaken. At least, that's what Celikk speculated in his diary."

"So he needs to use Landorus, Tornadus and Thunderus to finish up the stone's completion. It makes sense since I remember an old storybook pertaining to that legend," Nella pondered aloud.

"But there's one more thing," Scarlet announced grimly and pointed a finger. "Celikk cancelled the experiment not only for the lives of several people and pokemon but for someone he loved above everything else. Nella, you are that key component."

White blinked, Nella's eyes widened and Bu snorted restlessly.

"W-what does that mean...?" the redhead stammered, fingers quivering. "H-how...?"

"As the shrine maiden, you're charged with offering gratitude to the Kami Trio and asking for renewed grace on Arjrabal. I take it you must perform such acts inside that big shrine...alone. That makes you a possible gate or connection between humanity and the earth's power itself, a suitable component for awakening a ground legendary itself. Nella, your blood is the key to opening that shrine which, I'm sure, has something to do with Groudon. That is all I got from Celikk's diary."

Nella stared at the open book before slowly resting her head against the table. "Oh...so that's what it meant in the original manuscript Celikk handed to me..."

"You read it?" White asked.

"Only a little. There was something else he put in that manuscript," she added and tapped the book. "A number at the last page. 8."

Scarlet arched an eyebrow before flipping the pages till he got to the last one. "This one says 6. I wonder why he put a random number here."

"Maybe he was just doodling," White offered and leaned back. "Or it might actually mean something."

"8 and 6. Weird...we'll come to that later. I found something else, Nella." With that, Scarlet brought out the wooden box and opened it before pulling out a small object. It looked like a locket of some sort with some odd text scratched into its golden cover. "Can you see if you can read it?"

Nella squinted at the text before her blue eyes widened. "Cyrino..."

White tilted her head. "Cyrino? Who's that?"

The princess looked hesitant for a second before placing her hands against her laps. "He's...my brother..."

White and Jolteon were surprised. She always gave the impression that Celikk was her only brother.

"What happened to him?"

"He died...a long time ago. When I was still too young to remember him well enough," Nella replied and turned to Scarlet. "Where did you get that?"

"A Zoroark gave it to me," he replied and ignored the confused look on her face. "I read about Cyrino. Apparently, he and Celikk used to be best friends. In the earlier parts of this diary, he'd often describe how they'd do things together like taking turns to disturb your mom, playing with you when you were still a baby or even go out to watch the Flygon Lifting every year. He sounded pretty shaken up when he wrote about Cyrino's death. Celikk described him as a prodigy with pokemon, a natural born leader in every right and a masterful painter at a young age. Cyrino was a precious role model to Celikk, though they were of the same age."

"I guess. Celikk never liked it when I tried bringing up stuff about Cyrino," Nella chipped in, rubbing the back of her neck. "How come we're talking about Cyrino all of a sudden?"

"I've got a small hunch is all," Scarlet replied before looking up as Jolteon barked something out.

"Good question, Jolt," White commented and faced Nella. "You said Celikk and Cyrino were the same age. That makes them twins, right?"

Nella chewed her lip and shook her head slowly, earning a puzzled glance from the trainer.

"But...how can they be of the same age though their not twins?"

"Elementary, White. Cyrino was adopted," Scarlet stated and strolled over to Nella. "What's more, Celikk wrote in his diary that Cyrino was not in fact, Arjrabalian. He had been found half-dead in the desert a while before Nella was born. Their mother took pity on him and took him in as a friend for Celikk. The two became inseparable ever since and seeing as he had no family to begin with, he was promptly absorbed into the royal family. Right, Nella?"

"Yeah..." she echoed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Not many people knew but no one really minded. Racism wasn't as heavy then...but when the time came for my father to announce a successor...Celikk was chosen despite Cyrino being the more capable person. The reason was clear. Cyrino was not of Arjrabalian descent and by tradition could not take the throne. In his anger, the boy stormed out and left the palace to sulk in the park...and by the next day, Celikk found his stabbed body in a well when he was out looking for him...To date, we still don't know who did it..."

"That's terrible..." White murmured.

"And that's the reason why Celikk wanted to revive Groudon."

The girls looked up at the smirking ravenette.

"Huh?"

"Once again, I make reference to the diary and I quote '_The throne was meaningless without my brother Cyrino to stay beside me. As a result, I sought to step down and let my younger sister take over when she's old enough. My father shall continue to rule and maybe my uncle afterwards if anything unexpected happens. I shall use that free time to take care of Nella and if possible...bring back my brother...'_ end quote."

"Revive Cyrino?" Nella gasped. "But how does awakening Groudon help?"

"Do you remember that star that could grant any wish?" Scarlet asked. "I heard a story about it once when I was in Hoenn and people said this wish-granting star...is a living legendary pokemon."

"Seriously?!" Nella cried. "So Groudon and this pokemon are somehow connected?"

"They come from the same region," White remarked thoughtfully. "I'm sure that ties them together a little along with some small legends here and there. I think my pokedex has something on this star."

"_Jirachi, the Wish Pokémon. Jirachi will awaken from its sleep of a thousand years if you sing to it in a voice of purity. It is said to make true any wish that people desire. While it sleeps, a tough crystalline shell resembling a glowing star envelops the body to protect it from enemies._"

"No wonder," Nella cooed and sank back into her seat with a sigh. "So Celikk wanted to awaken Groudon and somehow or the other, get Jirachi to awaken too. Then he'd wish for Cyrino to be brought back to life..."

Everyone mulled over the statement before White slowly got off her seat. "Guys...I've got the feeling that Mana's leader wants Jirachi too..."

"Yeah...thought so too," Scarlet replied. "That was his main aim all along. I'm not sure what he'll wish for but I've got a gut feeling that it can't be good."

"Then he needs to be stopped immediately," Nella declared, getting off her own seat and putting her hands on her hips. "First of all, we should get to my uncle and alert him of the traitors among the councilmen."

"Right!" White chirped and the group left the room immediately in search of Nella's uncle. However, Scarlet had a nagging feeling that Mana should not have been left alone in his dungeon.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll be with you in a few minutes," he blurted and made a 180 degrees turn before taking off in the direction of Mana's makeshift prison. Slamming the door open, the hunter scanned the room before his eyes came to rest on the empty seat. Narrowing, they flicked to the window and he promptly swore upon seeing a dark strip of cloth disappear right through it.

"How could I forget?! A servant must've cut him loose!" he hissed and ran towards the window in time to see Mana land on a nearby roof. Cursing, he jumped after him and began his chase, jumping several roofs and avoiding clothes-lines here and there. He had to hand it to Mana, that boy was as agile as a Monferno. In time, the white-haired boy jumped from the array of roofs and landed on the fairly-busy street before taking off again, dark cloak billowing behind him. Scarlet kept to the rooftops and followed until his target came to a dead-end. Just as he was about turning, he saw a shadow from above and gasped as Scarlet landed on his shoulders, pushing him into the dusty ground.

"Not today, buddy!" he cried and dodged a punch from his struggling target. With hidden strength, the boy got Scarlet off and rolled away before jumping to his feet and pulling out a curved dagger.

"Out of my way," he ordered between ragged pants.

"So you can cause more havoc? I don't think so," Scarlet defiantly replied, crossing his arms and planting his feet firmly against the ground, blocking Mana's escape route. "C'mon Mana. Give up. I know why you're doing all this. It's so you can get back at those guys who made your life miserable, right?"

"Shut up!" he yelled and dashed forward before taking a stab at Scarlet who simply sidestepped the attack and grabbed his knife-arm.

"You know you don't have it in you to actually wanna hurt somebody. You showed that when you begged me to forgive that time you stabbed me. Why don't you stop fooling yourself and come back to the friends who're waiting for you."

Mana froze before gritting his teeth and wrenching his arm free. "They hate me now. There's no way I can get back. No move!" And with that, he began to slash wildly at Scarlet. The latter dodged before getting behind Mana and taking a swipe at his legs, aiming to fell him. However, the boy jumped and dodged before bringing his blade down again, lightly scratching Scarlet on the cheek and drawing blood. The hunter winced before using that split-second to catch Mana by the collar and flip him over his shoulder. The boy coughed as he landed against the ground and Scarlet slammed a foot against his chest, pinning him down before he grabbed the blade.

"I always wanted to know, Mana. How come it looked like you felt no pain in our first fight? Was the blue orb healing you or did you receive a temporary numbness upon using it? And also, are you comfortable with using the life-force of others to achieve some silly goals?"

"You...you won't understand!" he cried and grabbed Scarlet's foot before pushing with all his might. The hunter regained his footing but Mana had already rolled out from under him. Panting, the boy looked for another escape route and cursed. He was a good climber but even he couldn't scale the building behind them in time. A joint roar resounded through the air and Scarlet smirked as the boy's eyes widened.

"That should be Khan's Krookodile and Bu. They're probably onto your scent now. I'd say you're trapped, Mana," he stated, watching the boy sweat. At that moment, Khan rushed up to Scarlet from nowhere and bent to catch his breath.

"You...sneaky...bastard..." he hissed between huffs and straightened up. "Why won't you just give up already...?"

Mana glared before standing up straight and tying his hair back into a ponytail. "Khan, I'm sorry. But please understand that I'm doing this for the sake of Arjrabal's safety...Nella's and yours included. I don't have time to explain...so I'll give you guys one more chance. Please move."

"I will not!" Khan barked and his Krookodile snorted firmly. "Besides...what makes you in a position to give demands?"

The culprit's eyes narrowed before he raised a hand and stuck it into his mouth. Scarlet watched the hand move before expressing apprehension at the way Mana began to wince. Suddenly, Scarlet knew what he was doing but he was too late to stop him as the boy ripped out a bloodied tooth from the back of mouth and held it before them. What really shocked them was the fact that this tooth had a bluish glow to it.

"A blue orb!" Khan exclaimed.

"Yes. I must take my leave now," Mana stated and raised the orb back to his open mouth. Realising what he would do next, Scarlet raised a hand.

"Stop! You don't know what it'll do to you!" he cried and Mana paused to look at him. "Don't swallow it, Mana."

Khan grit his teeth and stared at the boy. "Look...I'm sorry for the way I treated you...I was trying to save face among the Arjrabalians and though I'd hate to admit it but White pointed it out to me that I was being a coward. I didn't know it'd turn you to this and I truly regretted it ever since. Mana...forgive me...and come back. I don't care if you hate me now...just do it for Nella's sake. You're pretty much the only human she trusts."

Mana watched him extend a hand and give a shaky smile.

"Please...Mana," he pleaded.

The boy gazed at him before facing the floor. "You idiot...I forgave you a long time ago..." He looked up and Scarlet noticed the fierce determination in his eyes. "But I'm out to make things right and I will not stop until I've done so. But if you must know, my vengeful feelings are not directed at the people who tormented me here." Slowly, he smiled at Khan and the older teen's heart wrenched at how the old Mana seemed to stand before them.

"I'll see you again," he mouthed and took the stone to his lips.

"No! DON'T!" Scarlet yelled, running up to him but it was too late. The boy swallowed the orb and with a pained wince, doubled over while gripping his stomach. Before Scarlet could reach him, Mana sprang up again and screamed as blue energy swished and swirled around him. Patterns began to align his skin his irises went violently blue. By the time the transformation was over, a crater had formed below his feet and Scarlet stared wide-eyed at the boy. He looked entranced with his eyes wide and a small frown dotted his face. His clothes were radiating light now and his hair had spiked up completely.

"Mana...?" Khan echoed and the boy gave him an indifferent glance before taking a running stance. Before he could go, Scarlet grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back. Mana's blue eyes dropped to the hand before fixing themselves back on Scarlet's green ones.

"The **eighth** day of the** sixth** month. Watch out," he muttered in a hollow voice and gave the teen a small push. Due to the excess power flowing through his veins though, that small push sent Scarlet into Krookodile and Khan and all three slammed against the wall. By the time they got the dizziness out of their eyes, Mana had gone past them and with a small grunt, he made an impossible jump that saw him disappearing into the evening clouds.

"Dammit!" Khan cursed, pounding the ground. "This is all my fault!"

Scarlet didn't bother comforting the guy. It wasn't in his nature to cheer guys up anyway and besides, he was too busy pondering on what Mana had told him before he left.

"The eighth day of the sixth month..." he echoed and dusted his cloak before turning in the direction of the palace. "Hey Khan. What happens tomorrow?"

Khan stopped his rant and looked at Scarlet. "Why d'you want to know?"

"Just say it. It's crucial!" he barked and the older teen cringed before closing his eyes and pressing a finger to his forehead. His eyes snapped open immediately after upon a sudden realisation.

"Of course! How could I forget! Tomorrow's the Harvest Ceremony!...It's also the day when Arjrabal burnt to the ground..."

Scarlet narrowed his eyes and looked up to the orange skies. "Great..."

"What? What's happening?" Khan asked, confused at his reaction.

Scarlet's eyes closed and he gave a slow sigh.

_"Tomorrow...Arjrabal just might see hell again..."_

**-END OF CHAPTER VI-**


	7. Temple Run

**VII**

_Grand Palace, Arjrabal Central. 11:11 PM_

A curious Nella watched as her guests moved towards the large doors that led out to the cool night air.

"Um…where're you guys going at this time?" she asked.

"To the Abundant Shrine," Scarlet replied without looking back. "We're gonna need your help to open it too."

Puzzled, Nella rushed back to her room to get a cloak to cover her night gown. In seconds, she was out again and silently pushed the wooden doors open.

"Just so you know, I'm supposed to be on curfew," she muttered, gingerly stepping through.

"Don't worry! You only need to open the shrine for us," White chirped and clapped a hand over her shoulder. "Then you can come back and rest up for the harvest festival."

"Why do you guys want to check the shrine anyway?"

"Scarly's got another hunch. We just wanna confirm it," the trainer replied and shivered a little. Desert nights could be quite cold. "I also think there's something odd about the shrine."

Nodding in acknowledgement, the redhead lead them to the gates before pausing to think about how they would pass it without alerting the guards.

"We could scale the walls," White offered but Scarlet shook his head and pointed.

"The tops are rigged with the same alarm crystals on Nella's neck. If she crosses over the walls at night without permission then I think they'll go off, right?"

"He's right," Nella replied and took their hands before leading them to the palace gardens. In the centre sat a large stone plant that the sultan had had built for decoration. Being the rebellious teenager that she was, the smart princess had requested for Bu, a Vibrava then, to dig a hole underneath the large structure. This hole happened to be cleverly covered when Khan's Krookodile and Mana's Claydol used their ground-type powers to shift the statue.

"It leads to the Central Plaza itself," she stated and put her hands against the statue's base before looking to the other two. "A little help, please?"

Nodding, Scarlet and White joined her and managed to push the structure a few meters, showing the hole underneath.

"I'll get Bu to cover it back up when we get in," Nella added and whistled lowly. Immediately afterwards, her Flygon silently dropped from the night sky and she gave his head a pat before whispering her instructions to him. A minute later, Bu nodded and Nella walked towards the hole.

"I'm normally not too cool with dirt," Scarlet murmured and yelped as White slapped his back playfully.

"C'mon Scarly. A little dirt won't hurt once in a while!" she remarked and peered into the dark hole. "It is quite dark though…"

"Don't sweat it. I made it in the form of a tunnelled slide so we can get there faster. Brace yourself," Nella chuckled before jumping in and disappearing altogether. White followed with a small shriek and Scarlet and Jolteon looked to each other, each one daring the other person to go first. With a small huff, Scarlet raised a foot…and _accidentally_ shoved his pokemon in before diving into the hole with a mischievous grin. Nella had been right, the tunnel did take the shape of a slippery slide that seemed to wind and twist forever. White definitely had the time of her life but our hunter and his faithful hunting dog weren't too good with anything remotely rollercoaster-ish so it came as no surprise when Scarlet's face had gone green by the time the ride came to an end.

"We're right above the plaza," Nella remarked and got up before pushing against the sandy ceiling above her. Seconds later, the stony lid on the surface was moved away and she hopped out before pulling White along. Shakily, the remaining duo clambered to the surface and held their dinners in time to scurry towards the centre of the plaza where the shrine sat.

The group quickly climbed the steps and found themselves at the stone doors that locked away the secrets of the large building known as the Abundant Shrine.

"By the way," Nella whispered as she rolled up her sleeves. "Only the shrine maiden is allowed in there. I haven't done the ceremony yet but I got a view of its interiors a few years ago. There wasn't much...but I got the feeling that there was more to the building. Be careful of ancient traps."

"So its just like exploring a forbidden temple," White cooed and grinned. "Maybe we'll find treasure!"

"Or run into monster pokemon and end up in a twisted version of Temple Run," Scarlet deadpanned. "Focus, ditz. My cube picked up a high energy concentration coming from this place. Let's get in and investigate...we just might find more clues. Do it, Nella."

Nodding, the redhead placed her hands on the doors and the markings on her arms glowed faintly. To the others' surprise, the door markings began to radiate in tune to her tattoos and with a low rumble, they parted.

"Be back soon. They should be able to open from the inside," she added and pulled away. "And if you do find Mana...help me talk to him..."

"Got it," White said with a small smile and turned to the doors. "Let's go, Scarly, Jolteon."

"Don't have to tell me twice," he remarked and was about stepping forward when he remembered something and turned to Nella. "Those councilmen have been put down but we don't know if they've got subordinates among the citizens or the foreigners themselves. Be careful."

"I understand," the girl whispered and watched them head into the shrine. With another rumble, the doors began to close again and White turned to wave at her.

"See you tomorrow," she mouthed and the doors closed shut and dimmed. All went back to mute and Nella shivered against the cool air before looking up to the stars.

"Let's hope these kind people help us..." she whispered and turned back to the hole. "Celikk..."

* * *

_Abundant Shrine._

"Did you ever wonder why they kept Nella under strict watch?"

Scarlet scrunched up his brows in thought at White's question before shrugging. "She's a princess and Arjrabal's currently in a bit of a crisis right now. I shouldn't say her curfew isn't right...though it is a bit too tight even for my liking."

Jolteon barked in agreement before making some noises and gesturing forward.

"Jolt's right. We can think about that later," Scarlet stated and looked to the dark hallway before them. "For now, we've got some exploring to do."

With Emboar called out for lighting assistance, the group strolled through the passageway and found their eyes frequently darting to the ancient murals and symbols, letters perhaps, strewn across the walls.

"Any ideas, Scarlet?" White asked when they stopped to view one mural. The piece depicted a girl standing with her arms raised high. Several words were written around here and seemed to be directed skywards.

"This looks like a cross between ancient Hoennese and slight Sinnohvian..." he murmured and traced the arabic-like words. "It's a song. I think it tells us what the shrine maiden has to sing when she wants to perform the ceremony..."

"Hmm...the words continue onto the next wall," the trainer pointed out and the group followed the text, Scarlet making some guesses as to what they meant. By the time they reached the end of the narrow hallway, he concluded that it was all just a guide of sorts, listing all the requirements for calling out the Kami Trio.

"Not too much info, but I guess it should be useful," he shrugged and found himself before a door. It had a round, eye-shaped figure engraved into its centre along with various odd star-shapes and bells winding all around its borders. Scarlet gave his companions cautious looks before extending a hand. Resting it against the wooden surface, he gave it a little push and stepped back as the door slowly slid into the wall itself, letting a deep green light flood the hallway and temporarily blind its explorers. After a few blinks, the group adjusted and walked into the new section of the shrine.

"It...reminds me of the church back in Hearthome City," the mildly-surprised ravenette mused as they viewed the room. Rows of marble pews were neatly aligned in two columns with a red, golden-edged, carpeted walkway between them. At the very end of the room stood a giant altar with an equally giant life-like statue of the Kami Trio themselves, standing behind it. Above them stood a single star and painted Flygon circled the stone walls.

"I get this weird feel to it," White commented as they walked past the pews and up to the altar. "Like there's something deep about this place."

"Either way, this seems to be the end of the building itself, since there aren't any doors," Scarlet mumbled and stopped at the altar itself before climbing the stone steps that led to its top. "Why'd this thing have to be so big?"

Jolteon followed and got to the altar's flat top before his partner before taking a small sniff.

"D'you see anything strange here?" White asked, resting on the front pew. "Though it looks like the end, I can't help but think there's more to this place..."

"You're right ditz. Take a look at this," Scarlet called as soon as he got to his now-barking pokemon. Getting to one knee, he rubbed a finger against the dark marks smeared against the stone. In no time, White's head peered over his shoulder and her eyes widened a little.

"Blood?"

Scarlet nodded and rubbed the substance between his thumb and index finger. "It's stale...been here for a long, long time, that's for sure. Now the question is...where did it come from?"

The trio stood in silence to mull over the question before White sat herself against Scarlet and put a finger to her forehead, humming lowly. 'Logical White' was going to pop up soon so the others simply waited for her to finish her humming. A minute later, her eyes opened again and she got up before turning to the statue behind them.

"This blood is from the former shrine maiden of this town, Nella's mother. When she wished to call out the Kami Trio, her blood must've been required. A large amount of it too," she explained and her arm shot out with a hand pointing to the side. Following it, her companions saw the flint knife embedded in the altar's side. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Scarly, but part of that text stated that her blood must be spilled to represent that of the people and pokemon who had been suffering at Tornadus' and Thunderus' fight."

"You're right," he replied, tapping his chin. "But it couldn't have been enough to kill her. After all, Nella told me that she had died of a disease."

"Most likely sprung up from when she performed the ritual," White interjected and shrugged. "That's my take. Moving on, those balls in the statues' hands look suspicious."

The ravenette peered at the coloured orbs. Brick-red for Landorus, acid-green for Tornadus and sky-blue for Thunderus. The fact that they held colour while everything else was grey did seem a little off.

"Why don't we touch 'em then," he offered and reached for one. Suddenly, his cube started to beep loudly and he quickly grabbed the vibrating item before giving it a few twists. With a click, the device spread apart to form a small tablet with a blue, holographic screen. "It's detected a high energy radiation from here. Mana -or should I say- the blue orb is here."

"But I don't see it anywhere...unless-" White turned to the blue stone in Thunderus' arms. "Could it be...?"

"No...the blue orb we're talking about is down below us," her companion commented and the group looked down to the altar on which they were standing on. "As I suspected, there's something under this altar...no, under this shrine itself. And that's where this high concentration of energy is coming from. No wonder my cube's going haywire...but I wonder why it's gone off all of a sudden..."

"Never mind that. We've gotta get underground," White firmly said and rushed to the statues again.

"Unless you wanted me to bore through solid rock. We both know how impossible that is unless I use a- HEY! What're you doing, White?!"

Said girl was tapping against each orb and to Scarlet's surprise, they began to glow brightly. A very ambiguous sign of either good/bad things to come.

"There should be a switch!" she declared, feeling the statues. "Don't they look quite moveable to you? Like they're not fixed in place?"

"Yeah," he replied. "But it doesn't look like we'll find it if you keep tapping stuff like that. Maybe there's a colour pattern or order. Or maybe-"

_CHAK!_

White stared at the broken Landorus arm in her hand and comically went teary-eyed. "Did I do something bad...?"

"Bad doesn't cut it!" he screamed, going pale anime-style. His incoming lecture on temple desecration however failed to come as the room began to shake and tremble violently. The green light from the lamps turned shimmering red and Scarlet immediately knew that the next moment wouldn't be pleasant. Without warning, he grabbed White and Jolteon before whistling to Emboar who quickly returned to her pokeball.

"What's going on?!" White asked as he hoisted her over his shoulder. With Jolteon tucked under his other arm, the ravenette looked to the exit before looking around at his trembling surroundings.

"Remember those booby traps Nella was talking about?" he asked and stepped back a little before breaking into a run. "Well, let's just be glad that we get to play a simulated version of temple run...with a crumbling building behind us!" As he finished the last sentence, he came to the edge of the altar and gave a leap, landing unsteadily on a pew. Instantly, he stepped to the right and avoided a sharp slab from the ceiling before taking off towards the exit.

"You mean it's gonna collapse?!" White cried and shrieked as he narrowly sidestepped another falling slab, letting it fall just inches past her face.

"Duh!" he deadpanned loudly and gasped as the ground right before him erupted in spikes. The scene turned chaotic as even the floor itself reared, compressed and dented in several areas, further endangering the group's escape route. To make matters worse, the door itself began to slide shut and Scarlet dashed madly in his effort to reach the exit.

**SLAM!**

Too late.

The group stared in horror at the sealed door and Scarlet was just about considering digging when the trainer on his shoulder gave his back a quick pat.

"Scarlet! The altar!" she cried.

Scarlet turned and spotted the giant altar sinking slowly into the ground beneath it. Like an elevated platform!

"Dammit! Looks like I'll have to go back again!" he hissed and took off running back to the altar again. "Brace yourselves, guys!"

Swapping intellect for pure instinct, the hunter dodged a giant falling chunk of the ceiling, jumped over a rising spike, ran up an upturning piece of floor and slid down its opposite end before using the speed to jump and land on slabs of rock...in mid-air. With timing and speed to match a Sawk's, he bounced off each falling slab before landing on solid ground again and dashing up the stairs. Behind him, the room caved in and White shrieked after noticing the rate at which the collapse and accumulating debris was catching up to them.

"Faster!" she cried for all her worth. After all, her life was depending on the person carrying her and Jolteon after all. The altar had disappeared completely and Jolteon gulped at the large abyss underneath. His master looked even more hesitant.

"Crushed slowly by rocks or risk a broken leg when I hit the bottom," he chanted contemplatively as they neared the hole.

"Broken legs will heal!" White shot back. Jolteon barked again and Scarlet sweatdropped.

"What d'you mean by 'what if there are spikes or sharp stuff at the bottom'?!" he screamed. The hole was getting closer.

"Take the risk!" the girl cried.

_I don't wanna get turned to Jolteon-kebab!_ Jolteon barked back.

"Not helping, guys!" Scarlet groaned in exasperation. He was at the hole's edge now and peered into it quickly. Endless darkness. Looking back, he scanned the still-chaotic room. Endless destruction. It was quite obvious what a logical person would've done. "Guess there's no helping it. Maybe we should stay back-"

_**CRACK!**_

The floor beneath Scarlet's feet fell away and time stopped as the trio floated comically in mid air.

"Fuck," Scarlet cursed.

"Oh dear," White stammered.

_Oh for fuck's sake, let's just fall already!_ Jolteon cursed. Three things happened after that.

Time returned. Gravity took full control again. And with a joint scream, the trio plunged into the dark, endless void leaving the ceiling and the room in general to cave-in completely.

...

_Secret Cavern. 3:00 AM_

Darkness.

Eternal darkness.

Scarlet knew that had hit something not too long after falling but the shock had caused all three of them to pass out for a while. Perhaps that was the reason for this dark world all around him. He was slowly coming to again but the area was still dark. With a grunt, he tried to get up but found a heavy weight on his back. Judging by the soft mounds pressing down on him, he immediately guessed that White was lying on top of him.

"Ditz," he hissed shakily. The adrenaline was still flowing away from his veins so his body felt a little strained. "Don't tell me you're-"

"Not yet, mommy...I haven't finished my cake yet..." he heard her mumble hazily. Sweatdropping, he gently pushed her off before getting himself into a sitting position. Debris had fallen in with them so it was no surprise that he coughed from the dusty air.

"Jolteon," he called out. "Are you dead yet?"

_Rot and die, baldie!_ came the pokemon's reply though Scarlet wasn't really up to it to decode Jolteon-language. Shakily, the ravenette got out his blinking cube again and twisted it slowly. A bright light surrounded it immediately and he used the lighting to scan his surroundings. White lay beside him, uninjured but asleep. That was good. At least he wouldn't have to bother carrying her. Jolteon, on the other hand was wide awake and was making his way towards them now. His shiny yellow fur had gone dirty with dust and his white collar of fur was greyish now. Though his fur was a little mangled and he had a few nicks, he looked alright and didn't so much as limp so Scarlet didn't have to worry about him either. Finally, he pointed the light to himself and suppressed a bitter chuckle.

"Just my luck. My ankle's twisted," he deadpanned before looking up. The hole they had fallen through seemed far out of reach and it had been completely sealed now with slabs and such. "Then again, how did we fall from such a height and not get squished upon landing...?" On cue, his fingers traced the ground and he sighed in relief. Soft sand. That definitely cushioned their impact greatly and contributed to their not-too-grievous injuries.

"Huh? Where's my cake...?" White mumbled, finally awakening and rubbing her eyes. Consciousness returning full-force, she jumped to her feet and patted herself down for injuries. "I'm okay?"

"You landed on me so of course your're okay," Scarlet mused and gestured to his leg. "As for my ankle..."

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" she blurted and drew closer to him. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really. I just won't be able to move well." The hunter raised his make-shift torch and pointed it in the direction ahead of them. "I see a passageway. Our hunch was right. There's a lot more to this place than just that shrine above us."

"Then we should follow it!" White chirped and grabbed Scarlet's arm.

"I said I couldn't-Whoa, what're you doing?"

"Carrying you!" she replied cheerfully as she hoisted him up and got him unto her back. Giggling at his embarrassed tenseness, she turned towards the door and looked to Jolteon. "Your partner's not so heavy now that I think about it. You need to eat more, Scarly."

"Just walk already. You have no idea how much damage this has done to my pride," he deadpanned, burying his head in her hair to avoid Jolteon's cheeky grin.

"Got it!" White exclaimed and made her way towards the door, feeling elated that for once, she was the one carrying Scarlet instead of the other way round.

Seconds later, they were strolling through the passageway and White gazed at the new murals running along the corridor walls. These ones were noticeably different from before as they contained larger text and some grim paintings of a devastated scene with volcanoes and cracked, barren soil.

"_To those who survived Thunderus' and Tornadus' fury, their land had become nothing but dry soil, unfit for farming or feeding their livestock,_" Scarlet translated. "_In her anguish, the princess cried out to them but they paid her no heed._"

Walking forward, they came across another wall-panel with fewer text. This one showed a girl holding a shining star in her hands.

"_At once, the clouds parted and a strange star fell from the sky. The star came to rest in her hands and a voice called out to her, ordering for a wish to be made. The princess did so and wished for the pokemon to stop their fighting._"

"It's just like Mana's story," White remarked and grew puzzled as Scarlet shook his head.

"There's a twist here," he pointed out and she walked over to the next panel. "_The star opened its eye of truth and looked into the princess' own eyes. All at once, an instruction was placed into her head. '**If you so wish to save your people, stop the pokemon awakening beneath your feet for this monster pokemon's presence is the cause of Tornadus' and Thunderus' anguish. Call forth Landorus and follow my words carefully.**_"

"This monster pokemon is Groudon right?" White asked as they moved on to another panel. This one showed a giant, red monster rising from the ground and the three genies in different forms fighting against it.

"Yeah. That's Groudon," Scarlet replied. "The same one I saw in my vision too. Oh wait, the text isn't finished yet."

Walking forward again, the group found more text and Scarlet continued his translation.

_"The red monster had awakened and was waging war against all residents of the surface with earthquakes and sandstorms in its quest to find its old enemy, Kyogre. Liquid rock as hotter than desert sand spewed from its jaws and erupted with every step. Though they once submitted to Groudon, Tornadus and Thunderus felt no more sense of duty to it and thus rebelled, doing their best to stop it once and for all. However, the monster proved too strong and they were promptly beaten back. **'You two cannot defeat it, no matter how hard you try. Summon Landorus.'**_"

The trio found themselves before another mural depicting the princess surrounded by three glowing stones similar to the ones on the statues earlier. Each one had a text inscribed on them.

_"Landorus was swiftly called and it descended from the skies to join its fellow genie pokemon. Immediately afterwards, the star gave its final instruction. **'Combine the power of earth, wind and thunder and have them sealed into a sapphire with blood. Use it to gain control of the monster pokemon and only then shall your problems be solved.'** So Landorus, Tornadus and Thunderus gathered their aura together and forced it into a blue diamond harvested from the hole were the monster pokemon appeared. Using her own blood as a seal, the princess bound the aura together and thus a Blue Orb was born. With its power, she took control of the monster and forced it back into the ground before placing a heavy seal on it with the help of the star's power. The land was saved and Landorus restored the people's harvests tenfold. Furthermore, he enriched the soil and, with the help of his comrades, made the entire area far more favourable for living conditions. The once barren land had now become paradise and the people had the star and the princess to thank for that._"

White stopped at the last mural, a massive wall-painting that showed the legendaries returning to the sky with Flygon and coloured lights following them.

"_Alas, the time had come to part and the star bid farewell to the princess and her people. As it returned to the vast space above, it gave one final word of advice.** 'Your lifespan has been cut short as it shall be needed to hold the monster in place. But do not fear. You shall live on in your female descendants and continue to valiantly protect this city. That way, you shall see the city move towards excellence and happiness.'** Joyful, the princess parted with the star and built a temple over the area where the monster pokemon lay buried. She named it the Abundant Shrine and vowed to protect her people. That same will was passed down to her daughters and granddaughters._"

"Wow..." White cooed before she stiffened. "Did you say shortened life span?"

"Well, yeah. I'm sure it must've taken a lot of blood to create an orb of such power," Scarlet mused and realised what White implied. "That must be why there was blood on that altar. That's also why Nella's mother died soon afterwards."

"So the shrine maiden sacrifices her lifespan to hold the seal down!" the trainer pointed out. "And Nella wasn't able to perform the ceremony ten years ago. What do you think would happen to that seal?"

"Of course! It'd weaken!" Scarlet replied, understanding it now. "I guess that story Mana told us was false."

"Or maybe he didn't know, Scarly. I think we're the first people to see these murals."

The trio fell silent before Jolteon's ears twitched. Noticing his crouching, Scarlet gripped White's shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"We're not the first. If anything, we were beaten to it by you know who."

The girl swallowed and kept walking though her steps became a lot lighter. The murals were gone now and the empty corridor felt creepier than ever. For some reason, the heat was also rising steadily as they reached the end of the corridor.

"Hey Scarly. Is it me...or do I hear magma boiling," White piped up nervously before stopping at a door. "Do you think Groudon is behind this door?"

"Only one way to find out," the ravenette remarked and Jolteon stamped his feet repeatedly into the ground before coating himself in electricity. With a long cry, he charged into the door and smashed through it, making the door collapse. Instantly, the corridor became engulfed in red and White gasped at the spike in temperature. Quickly adjusting to it, she walked through the broken down door and came face to face with a pit as large as several fields and filled with molten lava.

Scarlet patted her shoulder twice and with a nod, she let him down. Stepping down gingerly, he viewed the magma pit and smirked.

"Groudon's resting place. And the site were those blue stones are being created," he remarked, gesturing to the bones around the pit. Grimacing, his companions stepped closer and White wiped her brow at the heat before noticing something.

"Scarly, what's that?" she asked, pointing to the object standing in the very middle of the magma.

"A platform of some sort," he replied and circled the fiery shores before finding a stone walkway that floated across the magma, leading up to the platform. With ginger steps, he crossed the narrow path and stood before a strange structure sitting dead-centre on the platform. It consisted of a glass ball supported high above the ground by a marble stand with black markings all over it. The glass ball itself was as big as a soccer ball and was clearly transparent though faint blue smudges lined it. Probably where the blue orb was allowed to form. Tubes extended from it and snaked upwards, rooting themselves firmly into the ceiling.

"Wonder if something is above us?" Scarlet muttered to himself.

"Found something, Scarly?" White called from the other side she was too scared to cross the walkway with magma on both sides. The ravenette shook his head before checking the stand. He found something inscribed on it and got to work translating the scratched text.

"Apparently, it needs a key to unlock the princess' seal," he shouted back above the bubbling magma. "I can tell cos there's a weird hole here."

White was just about to ask another question when a voice interrupted her.

"You children have done well getting this far. I honestly thought you would have died from the cave-in above."

The trio looked up and saw a familiar figure and his Excadrill standing on a corridor high above them.

"Aleph?!" White cried. "But your name wasn't on Mana's list!"

Said man laughed. "Mana never knew of course. I've been dealing secretly with this man you're after."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Scarlet remarked, turning back to the structure. "Whatever happened to that bullshit about not questioning history?"

Aleph glared down at him before clenching his staff tightly. "I'm not questioning it. I am simply seeing a new event unfold. Scientists tend to do that."

"So that's your reason for teaming up with that guy?" White yelled accusingly. "How can you do that to your own students?"

"When new history is in the making, I, as a scientist, am responsible for seeing it through to the end. This opportunity can open new doors for us after all and satisfy my own thirst for knowledge."

"Wow. What a nerd," the hunter deadpanned and straightened up despite the pain in his leg. "Sorry Al but you'll have to thirst a little longer. We won't allow this history of yours to change for the worse."

The old man's eyes narrowed and Excadrill tensed. "Worse? You know nothing, boy. Awakening Groudon will enable Arjrabal to expand even more. We can change the landscape, open up seas, come in contact with and stand above other civilizations! Arjrabal won't have to be a city lost in time anymore! It shall be perfect!"

"No it won't!" White objected with a shake of her head. "Groudon's power is too strong. You'll only make things worse by awakening it!"

"Enough!" Aleph declared and spread his arms wide. "Arjrabal is moving forward. We have no time to waste with a princess who refuses to see reality and a Sultan who stays stagnant. We shall progress!"

"You have everything you need in this place," Scarlet muttered and looked up with a straight face. "And yet you still want more, huh? I'd say you're just greedy."

Slightly unnerved by his cold stare, Aleph stepped back a little and masked his expression with a smile. "You three have become thorns in our side. Our plans would've gone much more smoothly had it not been for your careless intervention. I think it's time we dispose of you once and for all."

On cue, eleven muscled servants and pokemon lined the corridors, surrounding the teens below.

"A Cacturne, three Claydol, four Machoke, two Mightyena and a Camerupt," Scarlet counted aloud and smirked as they jumped down and blocked their exit. "I'd say you're being rather careful."

"But of course. You three are quite skilled. But," Aleph replied and his underlings drew curved blades. "These are some of our best guards and highly-trained pokemon. There is no escape for you."

White drew out two pokeballs. "I don't think so. Go! Zweilous and Sandy!"

In a flash, her dark/dragon Zweilous and ground/dark Krokorok appeared and stood against their opponents.

"Let me ask one question," Scarlet piped up and walked up to White while giving his cube a few twists. "This plan of yours. It's today, isn't it?"

Aleph's eyes had narrowed into slits now and he put a hand to his beard. "I suppose it wouldn't matter if I answered seeing as you'll be dead soon. Yes. When the ceremony happens later this morning, our various members shall quietly subdue Arjrabal's defence force, clearing the way for our leader. When Princess Nella happens to enter the shrine, she'll be in for a pleasant surprise when she finds him waiting for her. After which, she'll be forced to call the Kami Trio and all four of them shall be used to create the perfect, complete Blue Orb."

"I see. I guess they'll become sacrifices then," the hunter remarked as his cube scattered into light and enveloped his hands. "So this is how you repay the very girl who is sacrificing her lifespan and emotional health so that you can continue enjoying this nation's wealth, huh? You're disgusting."

The old man's face contorted. "You insolent brat-"

"When I was on psychic-boost," Scarlet cut in and tightened the newly-formed gloves on his arms. "I saw another vision. You, Aleph Zarik, shall die at the break of dawn by the hands of a blue-eyed servant in black. Prepare yourself."

"Nonsense! Kill them!" he barked, extending his staff. With a cry, the underlings charged.

Scarlet rested one hand against Zweilous' pelt and another on Sandy's head. "Activate Boost Mixer," he ordered lowly and the gloves blinked before changing colour instantly. Eyes turning fierce yellow, the hunter quickly let the pokemon go and dashed past White.

"Handle the pokemon. I'll take care of the muscle-men and join you!" she heard him say as he passed her.

"Let's go, guys! Zweilous, Dragon Pulse! Sandy, Dig!"

Complying, Sandy dove into the ground and dodged a Cacturne's Needle Arm while Zweilous opened her jaws and fired off twin balls of light at the two incoming Mightyena. The attacks collided and both Bite Pokemon were hurled back into their comrades. As a Claydol came from behind to attack Zweilous, the ground below it erupted and Sandy's jaws grabbed its arm before flinging it into the wall. Another Claydol came up and tried a Rapid Spin only for White to order a Dragon Rush. With brute strength, her two-headed dragon beat her opponent's attacks back and sent the Claydol into its fellow species. Cacturne came again for Sandy only to feel Jolteon's legs slam into its skull in a Double Kick attack. Not finished yet, the Lightning Pokemon sank his fangs into its arm and unleashed a Thunder Fang that completely enveloped the Scarecrow Pokemon in blue electricity. Screaming, the pokemon sank to its knees and with all its strength, threw Jolteon off. Sandy caught her comrade and set him down before quickly ducking and avoiding a Machoke's Focus Punch.

"Sucker Punch!" White ordered and Sandy balled up her fists delivering swift blows on her opponent's face. By the time she was done, Machoke's black eye showed even through its blue skin and with a grunt, it fainted on the spot. Sandy didn't have time to gloat though as the other three Machoke began to attack her. Luckily, Jolteon came to her aid and rammed one away with a Volt Tackle before turning and smacking the other one with an Iron Tail. Meanwhile, Zweilous had taken care of all the Claydol and was now slugging it out with Camerupt whose solid and sturdy mass proved quite difficult to move.

Thinking quickly, White snapped her fingers and pointed to the Sandy as Camerupt readied a Take Down. "Zweilous, hold your ground! Sandy, keep those Machoke busy!"

Grunting, her pokemon carried out their orders and Camerupt promptly charged towards Zweilous, aiming to mow her down. Inches away from the opponent, White suddenly cried "Move!" and Zweilous jumped away, leaving the still-charging pokemon to head ram right into the Machoke, knocking them all away. However, Aleph was right about their levels though as they still got back up and attacked relentlessly but White didn't mind. At least she got to fight bad guys _and_ get some training done.

Meanwhile, Scarlet dodged a swinging blade and let fly two, solid uppercuts with both arms connecting beautifully with two servants' chins. Having sent those ones reeling, he crouched low and swept a man's legs from under him before jumping back as another one brought his sword crashing down, aiming to behead him. The servant continued slashing and jabbing while Scarlet skilfully avoided each attack until he snapped his fingers. Instantly, the ground under the servant formed into a fist and delivered a blow into his gut. Before he could even stumble back, Scarlet was already behind him and with a short laugh, he grabbed the man's shirt and flipped him over. Another one came for him again and Scarlet leapt into the air before bringing an arm down, summoning pillars from above that crashed into the unfortunate henchman.

"M-monster..." one of them gasped as another servant was knocked into a wall.

"Kill him, you fools!" Aleph barked. Hesitantly, they charged again and Scarlet rolled on his heels before beginning his offence now. An underling tried to grab him but failed horribly as he simply stepped back to avoid him. By the time the man regained his balance, Scarlet's fast foot sank into his face and definitely knocked out some teeth before leaving him to fall down, out cold.

"C'mon. You're not worth the exercise!" the ravenette jeered and ran right into their midst before unleashing punches, kicks and stone pillars in every direction. He noticed one thing though, these guys were quite sturdy. Even when they suffered under his fists, they still got back up again. One even landed a stab at him though the sword only broke against the teen's skin. Being on Dragon-boost helped in times like these. Exhaling, the teen grabbed a foe and drew him close before sending a knee up his abdomen. Another one came for him and he used the man in his hands as a shield before shoving him into his comrade.

"Die!" another one cried only to taste stone as Scarlet raised another pillar and launched it at him. The rest gathered and surrounded him again and the hunter tisked in annoyance. Then he saw one of them heading for the unsuspecting White.

"Bastard! Don't you dare touch my lead!" he roared and zoomed past his opponents, sending every enemy in his path flying. Before the man behind White could slash at her, the hunter's fist jammed so hard into his right ear that blood came out from the left ear. By the time White looked back, Scarlet had hurled the man back at his colleagues and was dusting his palms casually.

"Quit playing around and beat those guys, Lazy Scarly!" she scolded and the enemies sweatdropped. She had clearly been too engrossed in her own battle to notice the extensive damage he had done.

"W-we can't beat them!" another servant cried. "They're too strong!"

"Give up now, Aleph. Maybe we'll put in a good word for you if you reconsider," Scarlet advised, wiping the sweat of his cheek.

"Yeah! Cos we're the strongest combo!" White cheered and struck a pose beside her coach. "Together, we're unstoppable!" (The joint pose would've made a pretty darn epic picture but our characters were too engrossed in their fight to pay it any attention.)

Aleph ground his teeth before tapping his staff against the ground. "Then we'll just have to bury them. Ready the Camerupt at once!"

Complying, a servant pulled out a small blue orb and dropped it into Camerupt's rear volcano. Immediately after, the pokemon gave a loud, fiery snort and bellowed loudly as blue energy twirled around it. Eyes going blue and humps becoming larger, the pokemon stamped against the ground before bellowing again. Its size increased too and by the time the transformation was complete, a bigger, shaggier, bulkier and scarier Camerupt stood before them.

"Rock Slide!" Aleph ordered. Camerupt snorted before rearing up on its hind hooves and slamming its fore hooves back on the ground. The ceiling above them suddenly trembled violently and rocks rained down on the people below.

"Get down!" Scarlet ordered and raised his arms high, summoning a giant, earthy hand that spread above the group and shielded them from the rocks. To White's horror though, the attack hit their foes too and she looked up at Aleph, clearly concerned.

"Call it off! You're hurting your own men and pokemon!" she cried.

"A few casualties can be overlooked," he responded coldly and Camerupt increased the number of rocks falling. Extending a hand, White beckoned to the men.

"Hurry up and get under Scarly's shield! You'll be safe!"

Confused, the few uninjured ones looked to Aleph before dropping their weapons and scurrying into the safety of the shield above them.

"Cowards!" the old man hissed and tapped his staff again. "Camerupt, Earthquake!"

"That's bad!" Scarlet muttered sharply and stopped his shield before grabbing White and Jolteon as Camerupt reared on its hind feet again. Zweilous and Sandy were quickly withdrawn and Scarlet looked to the other men. "Everybody jump as high as you can!"

With that, he jumped high as Camerupt came down again, this time, with glowing hooves. As soon as they touched the ground, a devastating earthquake tore across the ground, denting, shredding, cracking and ripping it apart totally. Luckily, its targets were above ground for that short time and had escaped the vibrations. Landing back down again, Scarlet set his friends down before looking towards Aleph.

"You seriously want to kill your own men too? What the hell?" he yelled. "I'm not even angry at the fact that you're using them! I'm actually mad cos you're just making my job a whole lot harder!"

"Foolish child. Just stay there and die already! Camerupt, Fissure!"

"Shit!" Scarlet hissed and placed his hands on the ground before forming a platform. "If you guys wanna live then get on! With Camerupt's boost in power, who knows how strong that move is gonna be!"

The men and pokemon complied and got on before Scarlet used his Ground-boost to summon a rising pillar underneath the platform. Elevated to another corridor, the men quickly jumped off and pulled their pokemon to safety too.

"Go!" White cried from below and the grateful soldiers ran for their lives. Before Scarlet could create another pillar to get him, White and Jolteon to safety, Camerupt unleashed its Fissure attack and raw energy coursed through the ground, making it temporarily unusable by the hunter. All at once, the ground began to split open and the trio scattered as the earth beneath their feet split open. Boiling magma lay underneath and White winced at the searing heat billowing from underneath.

"Do it! Flame Charge!" Aleph barked and Camerupt stamped its hooves repeatedly into the ground, generating fire around itself before charging for White.

"No!" Scarlet yelled and both he and Jolteon ran over to her before he put up a wall between them and the oncoming Camerupt. This proved ineffective though and the barrier was destroyed upon impact, sending Scarlet, White and Jolteon into the fissure behind them where a magma stream bubbled mercilessly. The trio disappeared under the hole and Aleph gave a concluding humph as Camerupt sealed it up again.

Silence.

"And that is why foreigners should never meddle in our affairs," he muttered cruelly and made to turn when Excadrill grabbed his cloak and pointed. Looking over his shoulder, his eyes widened as he saw the ground below swell.

**BOOM!**

"What in Landorus' name is going on?" he coughed out as smoke filled the cavern. Then he froze as his eyes made out three shapes in the smoke. "I-impossible..."

White hair billowed. A torn, green cloak flapped. And yellow ears twitched.

"If there's one thing I can't stand, it's when people try to hurt the ones that matter to us the most," Scarlet's cool but pissed voice echoed. "I could overlook the fact that you tried to squish me and Jolteon, but attack our lead and know that you're in for hell."

The old man's hands trembled. "How is this...possible...?"

"We had a deal on Skyarrow Bridge. These two will do anything to keep me alive," White's clear and confident voice resounded and Aleph caught the purple glint in her eyes. "You could say they're my guard dogs. Until I take them to their main goal, they will protect me throughout my journey to become the strongest trainer in Unova. As such, I cannot die here."

The smoke blew over and Aleph took in the iconic scene. White stood atop a platform with her eyes glowing purple and narrowing dangerously. Crouching on one knee beside her with one arm firmly wrapped around her waist to steady the girl, Scarlet glared at Aleph with his signature grin on and the other hand on the platform, showing that he had clearly raised it. On the other side, Jolteon stood proudly and glared down at Camerupt, unnerving it totally.

"This is not happening! Just who the hell are you people?!" the old man cried in shock and fear. No one can escape a fissure. No one.

"White," Scarlet murmured through fanged teeth. "Seeing as I've been lazing around, what should these watchdogs do anyway?"

White smirked and pointed to the Camerupt. "Scarlet. Jolteon. Get that blue orb out of Camerupt. That's an order."

"Yes, my lord," Scarlet cheekily replied (not minding the Black Butler rip off). "Let's go, Jolteon!"

In an instant, the two rocketed off the platform and slammed into Camerupt's side, making the pokemon stagger. With a series of well placed Double Kicks, Jolteon brought the large Eruption Pokemon to its knees and Scarlet grabbed its tail before yelling as he employed every muscle in his body to flip the pokemon over his shoulder. As soon as Camerupt hit the ground, Scarlet's foot lodged into it's belly and the pokemon coughed loudly before gritting its teeth and getting back up again.

"Toughie, aren't we?" he remarked and Jolteon barked in accentuation. "You're right. This is just like hunting. Let's finish it then."

"Take Down!" Aleph cried.

Camerupt stampeded towards the duo and Scarlet brought his arms forward.

"Let's do this, guys!" he yelled and White nodded before focusing on Jolteon.

"Jolteon, jump!" she ordered and Jolteon launched himself high into the air, dodging Camerupt's charge. Behind him, Scarlet stood defiantly and planted his feet firmly into the ground.

"Come on!" he challenged and Camerupt slammed full-force into his arms. Grabbing the pokemon's neck under his arms, the hunter roared and, with herculean strength, lifted the large Camerupt over his shoulder, throwing it on its back. As a result, its humps got rooted into the earth and the upturned pokemon's belly was left wide open.

"Jolteon," White began and raised an arm before bringing it down. "HI JUMP KICK!"

Giving a roar of his own, the Lightning Pokemon concentrated all its power into its glowing, four feet and dropped like a meteor on Camerupt's belly, making the latter cough loudly and retch up the tiny blue orb. Catching it, Scarlet looked to the gaping Aleph and tossed the stone into the lava pool behind him. Immediately afterwards, Camerupt returned to normal and gratefully passed out.

"It's just like White said, Aleph. We're unstoppable," he declared coolly and the old man stepped back even further.

"I underestimated you three," he stammered and turned. "I must warn the leader."

"Stop! You'll-" Scarlet called but cut off as he heard a low gurgle. "White...tell me that was your stomach."

The trainer tilted her head in confusion before catching the gurgling noise too. "That wasn't me."

_Oh no!_ Jolteon barked and pointed to the magma pit.

"Looks like all those ground moves disturbed the magma," Scarlet speculated "It just might erupt."

"Erupt?!" White cried and ran up to the Camerupt. "We've gotta get this guy outta here!"

_Putting pokemon before herself, typical,_ Scarlet inwardly mused and pulled out a pokeball. "Let's use this since I'll be needing my gloves."

Nodding, White took the ball and tapped it against Camerupt's hide. A red flash later, the pokemon was safely secured and she pocketed the item before turning to Scarlet.

"Okay! Let's go, FMA style!" The hunter yelled and clapped his hands together before placing them on the ground. Another platform quickly rose underneath them and in seconds, they were being quickly elevated towards the door where Aleph and Excadrill had already escaped through. On cue, the lava below spiked and began to froth quickly, rising up the cavern and covering everything below. Luckily, the trio reached the door in time and they quickly hopped off the platform and unto the corridor before running through the door. Once on the other side, Scarlet sealed it up with earth and pillars before continuing his dash.

"That barrier won't hold for long so we'll have to hurry!" he cried as they darted into a large hall. Blood lined its floors and Scarlet guessed that this was the place where the aura extraction usually took place. The tubes that connected to the orb-maker on the lava-covered floor below were already glowering and lava was threatening to spew from them. Quickly, the teens hurried past that room and continued down the hallway, frantically searching for an exit. As if the odds were testing them, Scarlet's barrier broke and lava flooded the entire area, quickly catching up to the trio.

"Temple Run! Lava Edition!" White joked at the spur of the moment.

"How can you say that when our lives are at stake!" Scarlet deadpanned comically before looking forward again and spotting fallen pillars. "Jump!"

The trio jumped over the pillars and turned the next corner. The roof had partially caved in, leaving a small space between the ceiling and the floor.

"Slide!" White yelled and they dropped quickly and slid under the spacing before getting to their feet again and running like crazy, especially as the magma was gaining on them. Finally, they came across a sign that only meant one thing. EXIT STRAIGHT AHEAD. But with the rate at which the magma was inches away from scorching their feet, it didn't look like they'd make it in time.

Jolteon barked.

"Good idea, Jolt!" the hunter cried, tapping his gloves and taking them off before throwing them ahead. Instantly, they changed to light-cycle mode and the hunter scooped Jolteon in and jumped on the seat before grabbing White and hoisting her up.

"Go! Go! Go!" White and Jolteon yelled in unison and the tyres screeched before rolling rapidly, sending the cycle and its passengers speeding like bullets down the hallway. Seconds later, they saw the door and Scarlet twisted the handle bars, sending the cycle into overdrive mode. Giving one final mechanical roar, the cycle burst through the door and the trio found themselves in the cool, early morning air while facing an endless desert. This was probably the other entrance located a good distance away from Arjrabal itself. The door they had broken through was even cleverly disguised under a sand mound though all that flew up as the underground building blew up. Landing back on the sand, Scarlet brought the bike skidding to a fast halt and they viewed the burning scene before them while panting heavily.

"Too close," Scarlet breathed. "Too fucking close..."

"But we survived!" White cried and took a closer look at her companions with the help of the beautiful dawn's rays. "Ha ha ha! You guys look like you came out of a coal mine!"

"Speak for yourself, airhead," the hunter murmured, laughing shakily too. Jolteon joined in and together, they laughed away the fear and adrenaline in their hearts. After sufficiently calming themselves down, Scarlet started up the bike again and turned in the direction of the horizon. "Arjrabal is just beyond there."

"So, we know the plan now. What next?" White asked as they began to move forward.

"What else? We fulfil our promise and catch that murderer," Scarlet replied and Jolteon barked again. "Right. We've gotta stop that guy's plan since it's today. Guys, get yourselves ready cos I'm sure things are gonna get hectic from here."

Smirking, the determined trio made their way back to Arjrabal and hoped that they'd make it to the city gates in time.

* * *

_Arjrabal Western-Central Canal Bridge. 5:00 AM._

Aleph and Excadrill hurried through the stone bridge, aiming to get to the palace before their absence was noticed. Though it was still early morning, the season was such that the sun tended to rise earlier than expected and he didn't want the locals to see him lest he'd have to come up with an excuse.

"Those children held me back but I'm sure they couldn't have escaped that eruption in time, given the distance to the original exit. Luckily, I had my own secret entrance that leads directly to the city. Now we must make haste Excadrill. The plan is almost set in motion and I must see it."

Just as they reached the middle of the curved bridge, Aleph spotted a dark shape and stiffened. Someone was already up at this time?

"Aleph Zarik," the shape called out and the man relaxed upon recognizing Mana's voice.

"Oh, it's just you. Don't mind me, boy. I'm simply returning to the-"

The man trailed off. He had to trail off. The Mana before him looked absolutely terrifying with blazing blue eyes and black markings on his face. His white hair swished about though there was no wind and from the unpredictable look in his eyes, it didn't take long before the old man sensed danger.

"You...swallowed the blue orb?" he stuttered and stepped back as Mana came closer.

"I did. It is necessary for me to stand against the man who killed my parents and is currently making Arjrabal hell."

"Stand against...? What are you saying, boy?" the man inquired nervously. "Weren't you in league with our new leader? Didn't you want change?"

Excadrill stepped forward and brandished its massive claws.

"I had my own intentions. But I want you to know that my heart is with Nella's side and I plan to spoil that man's plans."

Aleph stiffened and gripped his staff tightly. "I see. So what do you want with me?"

Mana raised a finger and pointed to the man's turbaned head. "You are one of those ungrateful, greedy people who can't see how much Nella is trying for you. I believe your time on this world is over."

"You're going to kill me? Impossible! I must see history taking its course and if I have to destroy you then so be it!" Aleph cried and Excadrill clasped its arms together before executing a Drill Run towards the boy. Mana stared at the attack and simply put up a hand. Energy swirled around it before launching towards the Subterenne Pokemon. The resulting collision ended up in a large explosion and Aleph stared in horror as his pokemon fell into the deep canal below. Being a ground type obviously didn't do well for it and in seconds, Excadrill's unconscious body floated to the surface.

Aleph ground his teeth before twisting his staff and pulling it apart, revealing a thin blade hidden inside it.

"Die boy!" he cried and rushed towards Mana with the weapon held high. Mana kept up his solemn stare and simply dodged the attack. As Aleph passed him, the man felt a sharp pain on his arm and was absolutely stunned to see his sword...and arm in Mana's hand, severed completely from his own torso. "W-what?"

"This is the end Aleph. Die like the wrinkled ingrate that you are," the boy declared and grabbed the man's neck before lifting him high above the ground.

"No! I must see this! I have to see a new age unfold!" Aleph cried as Mana's hand became coated in a scythe-shaped energy beam. "Spare me! I-"

SHLUK!

Like butter, the attack pierced through the man and Mana twisted it mercilessly before retracting, letting him fall to the ground.

"That makes one less evil in Arjrabal," Mana stated and picked the bleeding man before extending him over the canal. "Goodbye, Aleph Zarik."

Aleph felt his body being hurled into the water and as life ebbed away from him, he remembered a warning pertaining to this very incident.

* * *

**_"When I was on psychic-boost, I saw another vision. You, Aleph Zarik, shall die at the break of dawn by the hand of a blue-eyed servant in black. Prepare yourself."_**

* * *

_Aleph Zarik died before he hit the water._

**- END OF CHAPTER VII-**_  
_


	8. Lunatic Takers

**VIII**

_Grand Palace, Arjrabal Central._

"They still haven't come back yet…" Nella remarked as two handmaidens worked to braid her long, orange hair back such that it could be covered with the ceremonial hijab without sticking out too much. Her henna markings on her arms were also repainted to extend up to her shoulders and neck now.

A knock on the door signified the end of her redecoration and her uncle, Sultan Salim, strolled in casually, a touch of gold added to his regal clothing.

"It is almost time, Nella. I think this makes it the first time you will perform this ceremony," he pointed out and paused to admire the handmaidens' work. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, uncle," she replied and got up before having her red cloak slipped over her shoulders. "Have you seen Bu? I can't find him anywhere."

Salim stroked his beard in thought before shrugging. "He is probably out flying over the city. Or perhaps he is joining the other guard pokemon to ensure that that murderous fellow doesn't rear his veiled head again."

"But I wanted him to come too…" she grumbled, earning a chuckle from the portly man.

"You know as well as I do that only the shrine maiden is allowed to enter the holy Abundant Shrine. There's really no point in complaining."

"Only the shrine maiden, huh…" The redhead feigned indifference before smiling again and walking out of her chambers and into the hallway with her cloak trailing grandly behind her. Minutes later, she found herself back in the meeting room where she and her new friends had been deciphering her brother's message and solving this entire mystery. A wave of sadness washed over her as her mind visualised Mana standing beside her seat and offering little explanations when he was called to.

He was my best human friend…and now he's joined the man who killed my brother…Yet, why don't I feel angry at him? I would've surely lost my temper if it were any other person I didn't really know…

Slowly, she fingered the old locket Scarlet had handed her belonging to the late Cyrino.

"I'll just have to get used to it then…I only hope Mana doesn't get himself into too much trouble," she murmured to the object and flicked it open, revealing a tiny portrait of her as a baby with Cyrino and Celikk on either side, holding her up. Though she could barely remember it now, she still treasured those memories of when they were all carefree children, doing nothing but playing around and not worrying about murderers or racists or psychos with life-sucking orbs.

The sounds of horns and drums slowly seeped in through the palace windows and she knew it was time for her to do her own duties as shrine maiden of this proud nation. With a sigh, Nella snapped the locket shut and tucked it under her inner shirt before doing her neck-scarf up and patting her cheeks to clear her head. Nervousness was a given but she wasn't a redhead for nothing.

"I'm going, guys. Wish me luck!" she said to no one in particular and rushed down the stairs before slowing down to a regal pace and joining her uncle at the door. Satisfied that she was on time for once, the man nodded to his chief guard and the man turned to his colleagues before raising a hand.

"Open the doors!" he ordered and his men saluted before taking the levers and pulling them down. With a low rumble, the heavy doors slid open and the royal family, accompanied by their guards, stepped into the long courtyard leading up to the gates. People were already gathered outside and quickly parted to allow for their princess and sultan to pass.

Perhaps the harvest ceremony was the only day that Nella really preferred for her people as foreigners were actually allowed to walk freely in Arjrabal central on that day and it was no surprise when she heard a small girl calling out to her and waving. Little Minmi laughed as Nella pulled a funny face behind her uncle's back and waved back at them before continuing onwards. She'd join her and her family at the feast that came afterwards if she could sneak away from her uncle and Khan. Speaking of which, Khan was late. And so were Aleph and his Excadrill.

"You think it wouldn't kill them to be here in time for the ceremony," she complained though her voice was drowned by the chanting and music from the crowd. On cue, Khan stumbled out from the midst of the crowd and wormed his way to the princess while adjusting his fancy turban.

"Do I have to wear all this fancy stuff? It's kind of heavy," he grumbled and the girl playfully elbowed him.

"Where were you?" she asked and eyed his somewhat dishevelled appearance. "Did you just wake up?"

"No. I just had to get back to my place to get these troublesome clothes for the ceremony. I was actually called earlier this morning to the canal bridge that joins Western to Central. Apparently, there was a murder."

The princess stiffened but forced her legs to keep moving. In a whisper, she asked, "Who was it?"

"Councilman Aleph Zarik. Stabbed and drowned," Khan whispered back and saw her expression darken. That was understandable. First her brothers then the servants and now a councilman who mentored her though she wasn't too fond of him.

"Do you guys have any suspects?" she inquired. "Any leads at all? Or do you think it was the masked man?"

Khan nodded slowly and gave her a serious glance. "Nella, I can't say why but I've got a bad feeling about today. Who knows when that murderer might show up…so I suggest you be on your guard. We shall do our own best to help in whatever way we can but if it comes down to you and him alone, run like hell or fight like the hothead you are."

"Thanks for the warning," she deadpanned and did her best to put up a smile again for the crowd. "You haven't seen Scarlet and White, have you?"

"No. I haven't seen them since yesterday evening. Do you have any idea where they've gone?"

From Nella's hesitant look, he immediately knew and pressed further.

"Well…don't scream okay," she whispered and drew closer. "I…kinda let them into the temple and I haven't seen them since then."

Khan was blank for a second before letting the words sink in. "You what?!" he whisper-screamed in horror. "But that's desecration of our holy grounds! If the Sultan finds out-"

"**IF** the sultan finds out," she pointed out cautiously and put up a pleading look. "Don't tell anyone. Please."

Groaning, he nodded and they continued on in silence till they got to the central plaza where the large temple loomed over them. Taking a deep breath and praying to possibly meet Scarlet, White and Jolteon, Nella pushed forward and climbed the steps before stopping at the door and turning to her people.

"My citizens of Arjrabal! I am off to call forth the Kami Trio and pray for the continuation of Arjrabal's prosperity! Wish me success."

"Success is with you, our princess!" they boomed back solemnly and bowed lowly. Nodding, Nella turned to her uncle and waved.

"I'm off," she mouthed.

"Make your family proud," he mouthed back and also bowed. With that, Nella turned back to the doors and placed her arms on it before closing her eyes. In a second, the markings glowed brightly and the doors followed suit, shimmering in reply and dragging open. The princess put up her most solemn expression and stepped in. Just as the last of her red cloak disappeared behind into the darkness, the doors slammed shut and two Conkeldurr stationed themselves on either side as the crowd began their eager wait for the princess' return.

Unknown to them, a criminal's plan was already in motion and just a silent minute later, the guards around central plaza had mysteriously disappeared unknown to the crowd. Only when Khan heard an eerie screech did his mind buzz and he quickly looked up to see a ginormous Mandibuzz flying high above them, definitely unnoticed by most as it resembled a black cloud. It wasn't only the size that increased; Mandibuzz's beak looked far more serrated and it had a bloodthirsty look in its blazing blue eyes, and evident sign of a blue orb's power.

"Everyone, get down!" he cried as the pokemon raised its wings. Suddenly, it executed an Air Cutter attack, sending blades of wind down on the clearly oblivious crowd. People were suddenly hurled into the air by the ensuing explosions and that was when the chaos started. Screaming, Arjrabalians and foreigners scattered in different directions trying to run for their lives. To their horror however, the ground shook violently and Central Plaza's round corners suddenly sprouted high earthy walls with blue-eyed Claydol floating above them.

"What's going on here?!" the sultan cried as his personal guards mobilised and huddled round him. However, one of them turned and cut down his 'comrade' before whistling sharply. From the ground, a Boldore burst forth and bulldozed the other stunned guards before sending Rock Blasts everywhere. It's havoc was stopped though as Khan's Krookodile came out from nowhere with a Dragon Tail and smacked the pokemon clear out of range and into a tree. The traitorous guard was about to turning when he felt something cold and hard jam into his neck, making him lose consciousness. Khan held the butt of his hilt and stepped over the man before turning to the sultan.

"We've been tricked, sire! The enemies are among us!" he barked and suddenly ducked, dodging another man's sword before kicking him away. Tisking, Khan drew out another sword and blocked two daggers thrown by the masked men on the walls. With a start, he realised that he had left the sultan unattended to and he deflected the thrown daggers before quickly running over to the clearly frightened man. "Your majesty, we must get you to safety!"

"Save the people instead!" Salim replied and pointed to the Mandibuzz above. "That accursed demon is trying to slaughter them from above!"

To the Mandibuzz, it looked like a game of shred-the-Durant as the scurrying people were completely trapped within the round walls, making them easy targets for its brutal Air Cutter attacks. Any attempts to fight back clearly failed as the enemy Claydol on the walls deflected each guard pokemon's attacks and sent punishing Confusion attacks back at them. It especially didn't help that most of the guard-pokemon were fighting-types.

"Dammit!" Khan hissed and called out to Krookodile. "To every ground-type pokemon who is with us! Dig a hole now!"

The several Drilbur and Krokorok complied and began to dig quickly, creating escape routes for the helpless citizens.

"Go! All of you!" he cried and looked up as he heard another shrill cry. Apparently, Mandibuzz didn't approve of its preys' escape and was coming down fast in a Brave Bird attack. However, a familiar roar pierced the air and Bu's Giga Impact, coated in purple energy rocketed from the side and slammed into Mandibuzz causing a mid-air explosion that knocked both of them flying. Nella's Mystic Pokémon recovered quicker though and sent multiple Dragon Pulses at the Mandibuzz before flying down and descending heavily on an enemy Claydol. Fainting it with a Dragon Claw, the dragon flew up just in time to avoid a Psyshock attack from another Claydol. Roaring, he spun around and smashed his tail into the Clay Doll pokemon before grabbing another one and hurling it at its comrades.

"Good boy, Bu! Help me break down those walls if you can!" Khan requested urgently and Bu nodded before charging up for another Giga Impact. Unfortunately, the attack was halted as the now enraged Mandibuzz swooped down and initiated a round of close-quarters fighting. Cursing, Khan returned to fighting off the human threats and he rapidly blocked several short daggers being thrown at him before running forward and slashing an enemy on the leg, immobilising him. He repeated the action for the other four enemies before somersaulting backwards as a large axe came down before him. Looking up, his eyes swelled upon seeing the enormous, bulky masked man before him.

"Sorry, Khan. But you are a hindrance to our master's plan!" the man barked and swung his axe again. Khan crossed his two blades against each other, shielding himself against the attack though his muscles strained under his former colleague's ferocious strength.

"How could you betray the royal family?" he hissed lowly and pushed the axe back before beginning his own counterattack. "After all the things they did for you!"

The bulky enemy blocked each slash with the long handle of his axe before clashing again with Khan. "Their sacrifices are not enough! Our leader promised us perfection!"

"You ingrate!" Khan barked and with one mighty slash, cut the axe head off with one sword and sliced the man's chest with the other. Spitting over his bleeding frame, Khan looked back to find the sultan gone, presumably lost in the panicking crowd. Instantly, his mind wandered to Nella. She probably couldn't hear all the turmoil going on as that shrine was built with soundproof walls. But that was a good thing as it meant she wouldn't be rushing into enemy hands. Even so, Khan felt that he had to get in and check on her, though that would be impossible as only Nella's seal could open those doors meaning that she was safe from outside attacks.

Gripping his blades tightly, Khan ground his teeth and resolved to help those outside for now. Spotting Minmi's familiar shape, he quickly rushed over and cut down the masked villain threatening to slash her.

"Are you alright?" he asked quickly.

"Yes. But I can't find granny anywhere!" she exclaimed and shrieked as a Boldore jumped Khan from behind. With strenuous effort, he hurled the pokemon off and grabbed Minmi before placing her on his shoulders.

"Hang tight! I'm getting you out of here!" he ordered and tore off his sweaty turban before flinging it into Boldore's face, temporarily blinding it. Breaking into a run, he stepped over the pokemon and dodged past several people before stopping as Krookodile popped out of the ground and signalled to the hole it had dug. "Good job. Minmi, slide down this hole and get to safety."

"I can't! Not without granny!" she objected and Khan rolled his eyes before looking around for the old woman. If she was lucky, she had probably gone down the other holes but that old lady was just as stubborn as her granddaughter and would definitely not leave without Minmi.

"Fine. Get back on and we'll look for her! To every other person, climb down now!" he instructed and turned with the girl on his shoulders and Krookodile by his side. "Let's go!" he cried and ran towards the midst of the guard-traitor battle, cutting down enemies and aiding the few guards though they were clearly outnumbered. He refused to think of this event as a war. The very thought of it made his heart quiver.

"Khan…you're not so bad a person as I thought you were."

Khan paused and looked up to the girl on his shoulders, puzzled.

"You're helping me even though I'm not from Arjrabal. This makes the second time now," Minmi pointed out and smiled. "I don't know why you're doing it…but thanks."

The 19 year old pouted and huffed in feigned annoyance before continuing his attack, secretly glad that at least one more person realised his true self. But he didn't have time to smile about it. The sultan needed guarding, his real comrades needed aid and Minmi needed her grandmother.

* * *

_Abundant Shrine._

Nella walked down the silent, narrow, carpeted hallway, looking for any signs of her friends' presence. Everything seemed perfectly normal so far and she got this uncomfortable sense of foreboding due to the somewhat creepy atmosphere the shrine's dim interior brought about.

"Mom must've been feeling the same way when she came through here. Then again, she did this stuff twice so she must've gotten used to it..."

Her voice echoed along with her steps, serving to further increase the stiff feeling coiling up in her stomach. In time, she reached the door leading to the main shrine itself and sighed deeply before reaching to push it open. Strangely though, the door opened on its own and light flooded the hall, beckoning her to step in. Shielding her eyes, she walked in and adjusted to the lighting before drawing a sharp breath at the disorganised and generally dilapidated look of the dome-shaped hall. Upturned pews and shattered pillars lined the walls, leaving a tattered walkway between them with slabs of ceiling littering it here and there. Some parts of the floor even had jagged spikes sticking out and several craters dotted it.

"Yep. Definitely activated the traps," she sweatdropped and sighed. "I just hope they're alive. Well, at least the altar itself didn't get damaged...though Landorus' statue is missing an arm."

"Indeed it is."

With the reflexes of an Arbok, Nella drew a dagger from under her shirt and tossed it at the shadow behind her. Equally anticipating it, the unknown person caught the weapon between his middle and index fingers before dropping it carelessly.

"Yo," the veiled man greeted, holding up a hand. "That was dangerous. I always though princesses didn't carry such things when performing ceremonies."

"What age are you living in?" she deadpanned and glared at him. No doubt about it; this was the same man who had caused all the hell in Arjrabal. But then...how did he get in here before her?

"Let's skip the introductions and get to the point, shall we?" he piped up and began walking towards her. "I need you to call out the Kami Trio. And tell me the location of Celikk's original research while you're at it."

"You know my answer, bastard," she spat back and took a fighting stance. "I'll never tell you the where that book is. And its not like you could kill me or you'll never see it again in the first place."

The man stopped dead in his tracks and folded his arms. "I see. You're quite the stubborn one, Nella. But then again, I expected nothing less after observing your obnoxious behaviour which you displayed since babyhood."

Nella faltered a little, expression flashing puzzlement. "You know me?"

"Quite well, Nellie."

"Shut up! Only my brothers called me that! I get it, you must've been a servant working for my father back then!" Nella frowned harder. "How could you betray them-"

"Servant?" To Nella's surprise, the man started to laugh and the redhead shuddered as a certain sense of nostalgia enveloped her. "I was much higher than that, Nellie. But that can wait. For now, you will tell me where that original manuscript is."

"Oh yeah? What makes you think I will?" she retorted defiantly. She however didn't expect him to jump back towards the statues and stick his hand behind them. Her eyes widened in shock as he pulled out an unconscious, old and portly man in regal clothing. "Uncle?!"

"Caught the geezer while he was helping people escape from the raid outside. Heroic but stupid. I mean, a proper king ensures his own safety before that of his subjects," the man remarked and dropped Salim roughly before her. "After all, as long as the king still stands, the country exists with or without a few citizens."

"You vile, motherfuc-"

"Whoa, Nellie, easy with the words there," he cut-in, putting his hands up. "Jeez, your mouth got kind of foul as you grew. Princesses shouldn't say such things."

"Don't joke around! Give me back my uncle at once!" she ordered, tensing. The masked man extended a hand before grabbing Salim by the scruff of his neck and whipping out a short dagger of his own.

"I will. When you tell me where the book is," he stated dangerously and pressed the dagger's tip to Salim's neck. "Also, my patience is wearing thin and I want to save myself the trouble of having to brainwash you into doing it."

Nella bit her lip before considering her options. This man was holding her last blood relative at knife-point and was demanding for info that could very well change the world. What he really planned to use Groudon and Jirachi for escaped her but she knew it would be unwise to comply...but the human side of her just wanted to throw caution to the wind and save her uncle, not minding the consequences.

"What is your goal? Why do you go to such lengths to awaken a monster?" she growled fiercely. "You took my brother from me. His Zoroark too when the pokemon went back into that fire to help him. My childhood friend has gone racist because of you and the only boy I could confide in turned out to be a member of your traitorous bunch of ingrates. Let's also not forget about how you burned Arjrabal to the ground ten years ago and now you want to take my only family away from me? You're despicable."

Her foe paused and huffed before twirling the dagger in his hand. "It's like I said that time at the library princess. You and I share the same goals...and so did Celikk."

The redhead arched an eyebrow.

"Read between the lines, runt. Perfection," he sighed, shaking his head. "I want to behold perfection before my own eyes and I will do all in my power to get it. Even if it means slaying my own friend and threatening someone close to me."

He wasn't making any sense. Why was he talking like they were family...and why couldn't she suppress the nostalgia.

"Time is running out, princess," he pointed out and pressed the blade a little deeper, drawing a light trickle of blood. "Where is the book?"

Nella hesitated. He had this air around him that clearly showed murderous intent if need be and she couldn't just watch him play pin-the-tail-on-the-ponyta with her uncle's throat. But then she'd be risking Arjrabal's safety. That would definitely-

"Nella. I want to help this country too in my own way. Simply lend me your assistance and I will give you that happy life you always wanted...I will even restore Mana, Celikk and your parents to you, if you so wish. After all, there is no death or sadness in a perfect world or should I say...heaven. Who knows...the Flygon Lifting might even return."

That definitely hit the nail on the head. "R-really...? You could do that...?"

"All I need is to make a wish, Nellie."

Her logical self was probably screaming at her to take his words for lies. After all, he didn't seem like the type of person to keep promises. But once again, she was more in tune with the possibility of seeing her late family once again. Reasons and emotions clashed and she found her mouth going dry again. After a minute that felt like a gruelling hour, Nella dropped her arms and gave a solemn sigh.

"Release my uncle...and I'll show you the book. You have my word as princess of Arjrabal," she spoke up.

"I'll hold you to that," the man stated and threw Salim towards her feet before beckoning to her. "Well?"

Nella took a deep breath and walked up to the high altar behind the man before placing her hand on its side, pressing a panel that actually served as a button.

"I'm sorry guys. But I can't watch my only family die," she muttered under her breath as a small opening appeared at the base of the altar. Slipping her hand underneath, she pulled out a box before turning to the man. "This is it...I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Thanks," the man stated and extended a hand out...only for Nella to toss the box into the air. The man looked up sharply but instantly regretted it as she pulled out another dagger and jammed it into his side before running past him and grabbing her uncle. She had to get him to the entrance while she still had the chance. With a huff, she looped his arm round her own shoulders before lifting him up and running as fast as she could, inwardly thanking him for making her undergo physical training. Behind her, she could here the man curse loudly as the stone box dropped on his head, further adding to his pain.

"By the way! That box can't be opened by anyone other than me! Have fun, bozo!" she jeered as she ran down the hallway and stopped to close the heavy door short. All she needed to do now was get Salim outside and she would be home free! However, a very familiar roar echoed and the wall behind her burst as a blue dragon-pokemon came through. "Shit!"

Druddigon narrowed its yellow eyes at her retreating form and gave chase, getting closer with each stride. However, Nella was quite smart. Earlier on, she had noticed the line of dormant traps hidden within the walls and all she had to do was step on a shaky tile, automatically triggering the traps. Right before Druddigon could reach her, the wall before them suddenly sprouted a long pole that dragged towards them at breakneck speed. Luckily, Nella was flexible enough to quickly dodge just inches under it. Druddigon on the other hand was too big to crouch or jump given the narrow hallway and it gasped at the stone pole slammed into its chest and pushed it back. Breaking it, the Cave Pokemon resumed chase but once that switch had been triggered, others followed suit and with each wrong tile it clumsily stepped on, Druddigon was subjected to stone arrows, punching pillars, hammer-shaped slabs and the ceiling practically smashing against it on random intervals. Nella dodged each trap and, in no time at all, disappeared from Druddigon's line of sight. Triumphantly, Nella kicked open the large doors and fell against the floor, panting for her life. However, she didn't expect the war-like chaos of running citizens, slaughtered guards and battling pokemon spread out before her.

"What's going on?!" she cried and gasped as a giant Mandibuzz from nowhere suddenly zoomed straight for her. To her relief, a large bolt of electricity zapped the Bone Vulture straight to Arceus-knew-where.

"Good Job, Jolteon!" a familiar, friendly voice congratulated and Nella was relieved to see White hurrying towards them. "Nella! Are you okay?"

"Yeah! More importantly, you're alive?!" she gasped, accepting White's hug. "I was worried. Can you please tell me what the heck is going on?"

"I can't say! We just got here too," the trainer replied and suddenly grabbed Nella before pushing her away from a fast-flying Stone Edge. A Gigalith growled menacingly before them and was just about to initiate a Hyper Beam when Krookodile's and Bu's tails both crashed down on its head, sending it face-first into the ground and thus knocking it out.

"Princess! Your Lordship!" Khan cried in relief and rushed over to the girls with Minmi bouncing on his shoulders. "What happened in there? And how did the sultan end up with you?"

"I can explain later! For now though, we have to capture the masked man! He's in there right now!" she blurted between pants and looked around. "Where's Scarlet?"

"He said he had something to do so we went ahead of him," White explained and got up. "For now, let's get those people to safety and stop the bad guys here!"

"Right!" Nella declared and got up.

The trio were just about heading into the fight when two blue hands extended from the doors.

Time slowed as Nella turned. Khan extended a blade and White unclipped her Emboar pokeball but it was too late. The Druddigon hands clapped around Nella and lifted her before dragging her back into the darkness of the temple, closing the doors shut along with it and locking the stunned teens out.

"No!" Khan cried and banged on the door. "Nella!"

"Emboar, Arm Thrust!" White cried, throwing her pokeball. Emboar was unleashed and the Mega Fire Pig crashed her palms against the doors with all her might but too no avail. They refused to even budge. "Darn it! Scraggy come out and use Focus Punch!" Scraggy jumped out and brought his glowing fists into the door. No use. Jolteon tried a Double Kick, Krookodile used an Iron Tail and Bu unleashed a Giga Impact but their attacks did nothing to move the doors and Khan angrily slashed at the barriers until his blades broke.

"Nella..." he uttered, banging the doors one last time and sinking to his knees in frustration. "I can't lose you too..."

Minmi looked down sadly and White chewed her lip. What could they do now?

* * *

Back in the shrine, Nella was thrown against the floor roughly and she yelled in pain as a boot slammed against her belly, pinning her to the ground. Above her, the masked man casually flicked a page of the book in his arms and she gasped upon seeing the opened box lying carelessly a few feet away beside her.

"Impossible...only a shrine maiden can-"

"I must say that you are quite the smart one, Nellie. Tricking me like that; I thought princesses weren't supposed to lie," he cut-in coldly.

"I didn't. I showed you the book, didn't I?" she spat back before gasping as he stomped hard on her stomach.

"You must be wondering how I opened the box, right? It's only logical that someone with the power of the star can put a seal on this box and open it at will...however, please don't forget that Temple Keepers can be males too," he explained, eyes still scanning the book and ignoring Nella's shocked expression. It only worsened as she noticed his muscled arms sporting similar henna markings, something she previously hadn't seen as he had, then, not needed to have torn off his sleeves to bandage his future wound.

"How...? The power should've been passed down to only princesses," the redhead stuttered.

"And what happens in the unfortunate event that only boys are born?" he asked indifferently and Nella mentally face-palmed. Of course, the power would then go to the boy.

"Why did they transfer it to you though my mother was alive?" Nella asked. "She performed the other two ceremonies, didn't she?"

Her captor cast her a glance before returning to the book. "How long did those princesses live after performing one ceremony, Nella?"

Nella thought about it before stiffening. Five years. That was how long they stayed on this world before succumbing to an unknown anaemia and dying off, passing their power on to their eligible child. But Nella's mother had done the ceremony twice and had lived a little longer to give birth to Nella before dying a few months later.

"She was a strong woman," he remarked, flicking another page. "She didn't want me to do the dirty work so she struggled with death and used up her power to stay alive in order to perform the ceremony a second time. She died a few months later after giving birth to you and only then did the Flygon Lifting come."

Nella took in the words carefully before catching something. "Why...did you get the tattoo? Who are you?!"

The man snapped the book shut and lifted his leg off before grabbing the hem of his veil. "You're awfully dense not to have gotten it by now, Nella."

The black veil came off and as the cloth fell, Nella's blue pupils shrank more and more as though she saw a ghost.

"Now then, Celikk wrote that you and the Kami Trio are the keys to creating that ideal Blue Orb needed for summoning Groudon. And I've got the key to unlocking the first princess's seal right here. Shall we get started, Nellie?"

* * *

"Emboar, Hammer Arm!" White called for the tenth time and her pokemon punched the doors again with her glowing fist. Once again, it proved useless and Emboar almost felt like the doors were mocking them. The worst part was that even more traitors had arrived and this time, their pokemon were armed with incomplete Blue Orbs, making it harder and harder for Khan, Krookodile, Jolteon, Bu and Scraggy along with the other guards to hold their own.

"We'll be slaughtered in no time!" one of them cried.

"Don't lose courage!" Khan shot back and kicked another person away while holding on to Minmi. He had suffered several cuts and bruises now but he wasn't going to let any harm come to White, Minmi and the unconscious Sultan. "Show these genderless dogs how dangerous guards from the royal family are!"

"Of course!" his comrade roared.

"We're not going down without a fight!" another one declared. The pokemon also gave their own battle cries and charged forward again, fighting with everything they had.

But Khan and everyone else knew that even heightened confidence wouldn't stand against their opponents' sheer size and they pretty much made peace with themselves, knowing that death was coming around soon. Just when they were completely pushed against the door of the temple though, a sharp cry of pain rang out from the very end of the plaza. In fact, it was coming from the other side of the wall.

The fighting ceased and all went silent as something pounded against the wall to the south end. It was dull at first but it grew louder and louder, making the warriors wonder just what monster lay behind those walls. However, one girl and a Jolteon knew who it was. They knew for sure.

**K-K-K-K-RACK-CRASH!**

The wall crumbled loudly and a shape carrying a big stone sword materialised from the smoke. In his other gloved arm was a tail, connected to an unconscious Camerupt sporting an upside-down Gigalith with its head stuffed in one of the former's humps.

"Oi, isn't it a little early to be drunk at a party?" a distinctive, sarcastic and sadistic voice called out, making the men flinch. "Or is this how wild Arjrabalian ceremonies are, Mana?"

From the western wall, an explosion occurred and everyone turned back to see a snow-haired, blue-eyed teen in black, baggy pants and a simple, sleeveless vest walking through with blue energy swirling around him.

"I resent that comment, outsider. Arjrabalian ceremonies are not wild. We've just got a higher number of party crashers today," the boy shot back sarcastically and clenched his fists. "All of you here are traitors and as such must be punished for contributing to this havoc. Prepare yourselves."

"What he said," the ravenette on the other side called and dropped his cargo before brandishing the giant sword. "Cricket, anyone?"

"Get them!" an enemy cried and the men left Khan's group to fight the newcomers.

"They're surrounded!" Khan pointed out, concerned. "How will they-"

"Don't worry," White stated, holding his shoulder. "It'll be over soon enough."

Scarlet smirked. Mana scowled. And the two man army began their counter attack.

With a maniacal laugh, Scarlet ran right into the army and swung his stone blade, unleashing a massive wave of fire at his opponents. Without giving them a chance to recover he stomped the ground twice and summoned massive cricket-bat-shaped-pillars behind him that batted away several men and pokemon as he charged forward. Those who didn't get batted away suffered even more as they were subjected to blazing kicks and stony jabs that crushed their sides along with a beautiful mix of street-style martial arts. On the other side, Mana took a sword stance and conjured curved energy blades before jumping high into the air and coming down like a black and blue tornado, creating a crater upon impact and sending dozens of people and pokemon into the air. The smoke barely cleared before Mana rushed out and gave a battle cry before beginning his own onslaught, slashing everything left and right and rapidly dodging attacks with lightning fast reflexes. He even reached a point where his arms became nothing but blurs and White could've taken him to be a human lawnmower, shredding everything in sight. The truly scary thing was the fact that he didn't kill a single person despite the horrible injuries he inflicted.

"Amazing," one guard cooed as Scarlet did a quick hand spring and spun on his head, creating flames on his feet and razing everything within firing range.

"Impossible," another one remarked as Mana extended a hand and formed a gigantic blue arm of energy which he used to sweep enemies away like dust.

_Tch, show-offs,_ Jolteon huffed as they both stomped hard on the ground and summoned two dragon-shaped streams of red and blue energy that swept through the terrified foes. With an indignant bark, Jolteon coated himself in lightning and zoomed through the other enemies, knocking them over in his path towards Scarlet.

"Well, what're we waiting for? **CHARGE!**" Khan cried, following suit. Krookodile roared in compliance and rained Stone Edges in every possible direction. The other guards and pokemon loyal to the sultan joined in and White smirked as together, the ragtag crew smashed their foes into oblivion.

Two epic minutes later, only one man stood against them and Scarlet's signature troll-face loomed down on his kneeling and trembling frame.

"Relax, I don't bite," the ravenette growled sarcastically, using the stone sword to lift the man's head up. "My Jolteon does though. BTW Where's your leader?"

Despite his situation, the beaten foe laughed hoarsely and pointed to the temple. "Y-you're t-t-too late...t-the p-plan is c-complete...n-now...we shall ascend the stairway to Heaven-"

**BAM!**

"Wrong answer, dude," Scarlet remarked flatly and lifted the sword from the man's head, eliciting a six-inch lump. The man passed out instantly.

"We have to get to Nella!" White called urgently from the temple door and waved them over. "Can you guys help me open the doors?!"

Scarlet rested the sword over his shoulder before looking to Mana. "You heard her. Nella's in there with you know who and you're the only one who can open that door...of course, I could too but I'm feeling lazy right now."

Mana tisked before adjusting his scarf and walking up to the door and extending a hand. To their surprise though, Khan grabbed his wrist and gave him a hard but also concerned stare.

"Can we trust you?" he asked and Mana stared up at him before nodding solemnly.

"I want to save Nella as much as you do. Leave this obstacle to me," the boy declared and focused his gaze back on the door. "Only someone with immense energy such as mine can do it right now."

The aura wafting from Mana suddenly intensified and the doors began to shake and tremble as blue energy was forcefully pumped into it. Suddenly, a bright light caught everyone's attention and they looked up to see a pillar of red, blue and green energy billowing through the roof of the shrine and piercing the sky, slicing through clouds like a fat knife.

"It's happening," Mana echoed with narrowing eyes and returned his concentration back to prying the doors open, a task not so easy for someone who relied on artificial energy.

"What's that?" White asked blankly.

"That...is the rumoured Stairway to Heaven needed for the Kami Trio to get to Earth," Scarlet replied in a serious tone. "I came across it when I had some last minute checks on Celikk's diary. If we don't stop that guy in time, he'll capture those three in those glowing balls we saw and sacrifice them to create the Blue Orb...along with Nella."

"Hurry, Mana!" Khan pleaded.

"I'm almost there," the boy replied, sweat forming on his brow. "It's done!"

On cue, the doors blasted open and Scarlet clapped his hands together before slamming them onto the ground.

"Everyone, hold on to me!" he barked and Khan, Minmi, Mana, White, Jolteon and Bu huddled close as a stone orb coated them. "Here we go!" he yelled and the orb shot through the hallway with fire billowing from its end, propelling it at rocket-like speed through the traps. In seconds flat, they burst through the second door and bashed the unsuspecting Druddigon into a wall before skidding to a halt before the altar. The sphere shattered completely and Scarlet's crew stepped out and looked up quickly only to have their expressions morph to joint shock and horror.

Standing atop the altar with his arms raised high was a man in his mid-twenties sporting long black hair, traditional arabian clothing and glowing tattoos on his arms. Red, green and sky blue balls surrounded him and his lips were curved into a wicked smile.

"You just missed her," he called cruelly.

But they weren't focused on him. They were more focused on the red-headed girl lying still on the altar with the hilt of a long flint knife extending from her chest in the heart region. Her ruby-red blood dripped down the edge of the table and formed a growing pool around the altar, running along the markings etched onto the stone material.

"**NELLA!**" Khan and Mana cried in unison, rushing towards the light only to be repelled by the sheer force of the pillar of light around the altar and the platform.

"Dammit!" Scarlet hissed, drawing his sword and coating it in fire before swinging it into the barrier. His weapon shattered upon impact and he swore before resorting to fire-punch and stone-kicking at the pillar.

"Emboar, Hammer Arm! Scraggy, Focus Blast!" White cried frantically, calling out her pokemon once more. Emboar crashed her fist into the pillar before stepping back as Scraggy's glowing ball collided with it, causing an explosion. Unfortunately, the attacks did squat and then unknown man laughed darkly.

"It's no use," he pointed out. "Only those with the true star's power can enter here."

"Who the hell are you?!" Khan barked harshly. "And don't you know that Nella'll die?!"

Scarlet jumped back from the pillar and massaged his aching fists. "To your first question, I think its obvious who that guy is now...right, Cyrino?"

Everyone except Minmi gawked and stared at the man.

"But, you're supposed to be dead!" Mana growled.

"I did die," Cyrino stated and folded his arms. "But a certain someone restored me with the power of the Blue Orb along which also awakened my latent powers. I could easily heal from any wound and conjure up energy explosions like the one similar to Arjrabal ten years ago."

"Bastard!" Khan roared and charged again, only to be repelled harder. "You're supposed to be her brother! How can you do this?!"

Cyrino's look dulled and he shrugged. "I killed Celikk and Nella's death will be needed to obtain perfection so..."

"How dare you?!" White cried, eyes going slightly blue. "Let her go, now!"

On cue, Scarlet's eyes also went blue and he unconsciously coated himself in strange purple flames before ramming into the pillar, cracking it this time, much to everyone's surprise. Their hope was short-lived though as the crack sealed up and Scarlet fell back, exhausted.

"Are you okay?" White inquired, kneeling beside him.

"Yeah," the boy dragged and coughed a little before getting up again. "I can't allow this thing to happen...at least not again." Coating himself in purple flames again, the teen rammed into the pillar and Jolteon followed suit with an explosive Volt Tackle. The pillar cracked a little harder and Mana joined in by smashing his energy blades at the side. Khan simple punched at the pillar and Bu contributed by raining Dragon Claws in an effort to get to his friend.

Despite the cracks, Cyrino stared at them indifferently and with a huff, gave a casual flick of the wrist. The resulting energy wave he sent was enough to make everyone at the pillar fly into the walls and pews at the far end of the hall.

"Like I said, it's useless. My powers are amplified here and as such, there is no way you can enter, no matter how hard you struggle."

Scarlet found himself coughing blood but he grit his teeth and struggled to his feet again.

"I'd like to know," Cyrino began and stretched forth a hand. Suddenly, a massive arm of energy extended from the pillar and grabbed Scarlet before smashing him into the ground. "How did a mongrel like you find me out?"

Scarlet swallowed back the blood threatening to spew and struggled against the hand pinning his arms to his sides while muttering something.

"Huh? I can't hear you~" Cyrino sang and lifted Scarlet in mid-air before drawing him close. "Mind repeating that?"

Scarlet spat blood at the pillar before putting up a smirk. "After we escaped from that hellhole under this place yesterday, I told White and Jolteon to go on without me as soon as we got back to the city. Turns out I dug up your grave, bastard."

Cyrino's eyes widened and he scowled. "That's an awfully bad thing to do. Didn't they ever teach you not to disrespect the dead?"

"Sorry," Scarlet sneered hoarsely as the hand began to squeeze him. "The dead don't talk...so I figured they didn't mind since the dead can't couldn't complain either."

"You cheeky little brat," the man remarked and gave flung Scarlet into White, knocking them both back. "It's almost like you knew I was alive again."

"...I did..." Scarlet murmured weakly as he got off White. "Ever since I discovered...that diary...Celikk stated that he'd bring you back...but he never made it clear...that he wanted to bring you back to life."

Cyrino cocked a brow.

Scarlet whipped out a piece of paper from his trouser pocket and cleared his throat. "This was a hidden page among the hidden pages. I quote '_I was terribly grieved when I found out of my brother's death. However, Aleph had been working on an chemical that could give heal wounds and new energy to a weakened or even unconscious pokemon by compressing something called Aura into a blue liquid stone. It worked on some of the pokemon and I felt a flicker of hope at the prospects of using it to bring back the dead since they technically lost this Aura of theirs and consequently had no energy. So in my childish exuberance, I stole a bottle of this strange liquid and took it to Cyrino's grave. After Zorua and I dug it up, I administered the liquid ignorant of the required dosage. Now I half-expected this to fail...but imagine my surprise when I saw you open your eyes, brother. However, they had lost their shine and you looked at me coldly before uttering one word. Imperfect. That is what you called me and just like that, I knew what went wrong. Your soul never came back, Cyrino. I only brought up a cadaver that needed to be filled with something. Anything. I did a horrible thing, Cyrino and like the coward I was, I watched you disappear into the desert. I could only cover the coffin and return it to the ground but I made a vow. I will bring the real you back to us, Cyrino. I definitely will.'_ End quote."

Cyrino folded his arms before chuckling. "I see. So that's how you knew and you dug my grave for confirmation."

"Yeah," Scarlet replied and the paper caught fire before disappearing in ashes. "You travelled the world, regathering knowledge and life experiences in an attempt to fill that void but there was no end to it and before long, you were exposed to a lot more evil the world had to offer. Eventually, you lost yourself and focused on that one word, perfection. That's why you returned to Arjrabal in an attempt to find a way to attain that perfection after hearing about Groudon and Jirachi. Cyrino...you killed Celikk because you wanted revenge for him bringing you back to this hellish and imperfect world, right?"

The man stiffened and narrowed his pale cyan eyes. Before he could answer however, the pillar's light gave a brilliant flash and everyone looked up to see a clear void-like hole rip open in the sky.

"The trio are finally here," he remarked and smiled broadly. "Thanks for helping me pass the time. Now I can finally fashion this legendary Blue Orb into existence!"

On cue, loud bellows were heard from the sky and to everyone's awe, three shapes descend majestically from the void. The first shape floated towards Cyrino's left and the light around it scattered, revealing a large green, muscular humanoid Pokémon, with two, purple, long and sharp horns. Several purple spots adorned the front of his body and a trailing cloud represented his lower half with a purple long, curling tail, tipped with a whirl.

"TORNADUS!" the Cyclone Pokémon bellowed loudly and wind billowed through the temple.

To Cyrino's right, a bolt-blue, similar Pokémon, with a single horn on its head, floated down and cracked his thick, long, curling, purple, cable-like tail that had several, grey ball-like structures; each one having a long, sharp spike on one side.

"THUNDERUS!" the Bolt Strike Pokémon roared and thunder and lightning shook the darkening skies.

Finally, one shape, slightly bigger than the other two, floated before Cyrino and cast off its light, showing an orange version of the others with a root-like tail that possessed various flat protrusions running its span, each spotted in dark pink on their edge surface.

"LANDORUS!" The Abundance Pokémon and Trio Master cried, making the earth beneath everyone's feet rumble violently.

Cyrino laughed in glee as the trio stared down at him inquisitively. They were expecting a girl this year for the ceremony and the setting had clearly confused them.

"There's been a slight change of plans, boys!" the young man exclaimed and the statues behind him began to shake. Suddenly, the red, green and sky-blue orbs in their hands flashed brightly and hovered around the three Genie Pokémon. At first, they were puzzled...until they saw the expected shrine maiden lying still at the altar before them with her blood lining it. With widening eyes, they looked to Cyrino again only to find a creepy, conniving grin on his shadowed face.

"Become the power needed to attain heaven!" he cried and the spheres swelled and enveloped the unsuspecting Kami Trio individually. Roaring in anger, they unleashed powerful Hammer Arms on their prisons and the spheres trembled but failed to break open.

_He's gonna capture them at this rate!_ Jolteon barked.

"And it doesn't look like he's gonna let us have Nella back any time soon," Scarlet added, eyeing the girl.

"We have to save her," Minmi mumbled with shaky shoulders. "Or else...she could..." The little brunette didn't dare to finish the sentence. She didn't want to think of the kind princess dead.

Slowly, the orbs encasing the Kami Trio shrank to fist-shaped balls and stopped glowing, revealing the trapped pokemon in their second Formes.

"Now that their in Therian Mode," Cyrino muttered and extended a hand. The statues behind him split apart at the midsection and opened to show a room behind it with that same orb-making device Scarlet, White and Jolteon had found the other day sitting in the midst of the fresh lava. This one possessed a larger lava-filled, glass container and a more elegant build with a star shapes hole on its middle. "Let the Orb Forging begin!"

Lightning cracked, wind howled and earth shook as Landorus, Tornadus and Thunderus' prisons were absorbed into the glass ball. Nella's blood was also sucked in along with the rainbow pillar surrounding the altar.

"Dammit," Scarlet hissed and crouched near Jolteon. "Buddy, I've got a quick job for you. Head to the Palace and get that box I brought back. Hurry."

Jolteon barked and turned tail, disappearing through the hallway. Getting up, Scarlet turned to White and pointed to her pokemon.

"The blue orb is going to be made soon. As soon as that pillar is sucked up, have Emboar throw me at Cyrino before he reaches the orb. Then grab Nella and run."

White nodded and relayed the message to Emboar while Scarlet quickly touched the fainted Druddigon a few feet away, absorbing its DNA. Meanwhile, the glass container began to spin as its ingredients convoluted and mixed with the lava in it.

"Yes," Cyrino muttered evilly as the mix turned bluish. "Yes!"

With a bang, the brutal ritual was over and a fist-sized gem that sparkled brighter than its incomplete counterparts floated ominously in the glass ball. Cackling, the evil ravenette skipped away from the altar and into the hot room, crossing the bridge between the bubbling magma below.

"This is it," he chuckled gleefully as he neared the container. "This is the Blue Orb!"

"NOW!" Scarlet cried and Emboar took hold of him before spinning and launching him over the altar and into the room after Cyrino. With a yell, the hunter conjured fire at his feet and slammed into the man's back, knocking him down. Landing at the other side of the glass container, Scarlet was about reaching for the orb when Cyrino extended his arm, forming a fist of blue energy that pushed Scarlet back and nearly sent him toppling into the lava below.

"Foolish child! You're fighting someone with the power close to that of a Legendary's!" Cyrino cried and sent energy fists towards Scarlet, the latter dodging each one and finding himself pushed farther and farther away from the Blue Orb. Despite this, he smirked and whistled.

"Go, Mana!" he cried and Cyrino looked back to see Mana's fist slam into his nose.

"Gah!" he screamed as the boy pumped his own aura into the attack and sent him flying.

"Ex-prince Cyrino," the boy began and tugged on his scarf. "I'm here to take your head."

"I always though you were on our side," Cyrino growled, getting to his feet.

Mana tisked and got into a fighting stance. "Like I'd join the man who killed my parents!" Running forward, he drew his fists back and engaged in close combat with the man. "I simply partnered with you so I could observe you. Find any weaknesses if I could. That way, I'd know the proper amount of time needed to train so I could kill you. Now-" Mana swept his feet from under him and pinned the man to the ground. "-I know all your moves!"

Cyrino hissed before raising his hands to conjure up another attack only for Mana to stab them both into the ground with daggers which he drew from his belt.

"This is for my parents!" he barked, punching Cyrino's face in. "This is for the sultan!" PUNCH! "This is for the pokemon!" PUNCH-**KRACK!** "This is for every person you killed in the fire!" **PUNCH -SQUISH!** "And this is for Nella!" **BAM!**

By the time Mana was done, Scarlet had to suppress a disgusted wince at the state Cyrino's head was in couple with all the blood that had flown about.

"Won't be surprised if he's actually dead," the ravenette remarked and walked up to Mana. "So in the end, you were actually a good guy, huh."

"Yes," Mana replied and got off the body. "I did all this so I could stop him when the time came and avenge Arjrabal."

"Guys!" Khan cried from the temple hall behind them. "It's Nella! She...she's not breathing!"

Cursing, Scarlet turned his back on Cyrino's body and made his way over the bridge and back into the temple. Kneeling beside White, he scanned the mortal injury on the redhead's chest and turned to Khan. "Is there an Audino or Chansey in this city? I just might be able to regenerate her heart."

Khan paused in thought before getting up. "I think we have some in the Clinics at Central. I'll take Bu and bring one immediately."

Grunting, Bu allowed Khan to get on his back before lifting off and disappearing through the hole in the roof.

"Please hold on, Nella," Minmi begged, gripping Nella's limp hand tightly. "Please."

Mana turned and looked to them. "It won't be necessary to bring a Chansey. Time is not on our side at the moment. However, there is one way to help her." He gestured to the orb behind him. "I can use its power to heal her like what Celikk did with Cyrino."

"That's true. Good idea!" White exclaimed in relief. Nodding, Mana grabbed the Blue Orb and brought it over to them before kneeling beside Nella.

"My princess. It's time for you to awaken," he muttered and brought the glowing orb close to her chest before closing his eyes, willing it to sew up her wounds.

However.

"What're you doing with my orb?"

Before Mana could look back, something big and sharp rammed through his middle, making him gasp and drop the gem.

"Cyrino!" Scarlet growled sharply as the man created an energy hand that gripped Mana completely and lifted him high.

"Like Scarlet had said, I'm simply a cadaver now. I feel little to no pain...and I cannot die," he dragged menacingly and brought Mana closer to him before pulling him by the hair to meet him face to face. "I am disappointed that someone as promising as you failed to realise this and go forth with my dream. Do you not seek perfection for this country. A paradise where there is no suffering or death?"

"I-if it's a world where Nella or my friends do not exist," the boy slurred and glared coldly at the man. "Then it's as good as hell and I'd rather die."

"Hmph. Die then."

The hand gave one squeeze...and Mana's eyes bulged as blood spurted from his nose and mouth.

"Mana!" White cried, sending Emboar towards him. Unfortunately, it was too late and Cyrino flung the boy's body at the Mega Fire Pig before dodging a punch from Scarlet.

"Bastard!" the boy yelled and tried a kick, only for Cyrino to jump away and sweep him into a wall with a casual flick of the wrist. The force was so much, it made that entire section of the building cave in and Scarlet found himself trapped in the debris. Cyrino walked up to White and Minmi before smirking coldly at the former's stern expression and the latter's scared one.

"I'll be taking this," he stated and picked up the gem beside Nella before raising it to the sky. "It is time! Awaken, Groudon, and become my stairway to reach the Star!"

Instantly, a massive earthquake ripped the temple in two, splitting White, Nella, Minmi and Mana on one side and Scarlet on the other. A light came down from the darkened heavens and enveloped Cyrino like lightning, making him laugh maniacally. A wave of molten magma erupted from fissure between them and multiple eruptions broke out through the streets of Arjrabal, making its citizens and pokemon flee for their lives though the earthquake upturned the roads and walkways underneath their feet.

Slowly, Scarlet got to his feet and looked in shock as a gigantic arm reared up from growing lava pits below. It was so large, it easily topped two six-storey buildings stacked against each other. Just the hand alone!

The temple tore apart little by little and White gasped as the floors fell away to reveal an ocean of lava below. Two large, yellow eyes showed through the boiling pit and a head of uncountable size rose from its resting place with lava dripping down it in torrents.

"Just like in my vision," Scarlet mumbled as the monster pokemon planted its hands on either side of the fissure and dragged its near-infinitely sized bulk out of the magma pit. In minutes, the laughing Cyrino was atop his red mass of destruction that towered above the temple and loomed over most of Arjrabal.

"A new age shall be upon us!" Cyrino cried and took the stone to his chest before pressing it in. With a yell, he absorbed the stone's power and let the markings run along his face and arms, giving him a frightening appearance. "Now, I shall finally achieve what I wanted to achieve all this time!"

The group looked up at him as he summoned two gigantic pillars of magma on either side of Groudon.

"TO **DESTROY** THIS INCOMPLETE WORLD...AND REBUILD IT WITH THE STAR'S POWER! ARJRABAL-NO, THE WORLD- SHALL SEE **PERFECTION**!"

* * *

Khan watched as Groudon began its unearthly terrorisation over both Arjrabalians and foreigners and his fists clenched in both anger and despair. He could do nothing. No one could do anything to stop this monster. Arrows were of minuscule use. Water-type Pokemon attacks contributed next to nothing to make the pokemon before them flinch. Even Cyrino's men felt betrayed upon hearing his unholy declaration but their upset was useless if they couldn't fight or oppose him. To make matters worse, Cyrino had an army of Druddigon oppressing and laying waste to Arjrabal Central and it wouldn't be long before he would head to the West, South, East and North to completely burn their utopia to the desert ground.

"All hope is lost," the 19 year old muttered, falling to his knees. "We can't do anything to stop him."

"So you're just gonna wuss out because the guy's got a pokemon the size of Mount Chimney. Big deal."

Khan looked back to see Scarlet and White in their modern clothes now. The hunter was tugging on his gloves and had released the band on his ponytail, letting his spiky locks fall on his shoulders. The trainer beside him had already adjusted her battle gloves and was cramming a pink and white baseball hat over her pure-white hair.

"What're you two doing?" Khan asked wearily, watching White pull out two of her pokeballs.

"We're fighting for our friends," she replied and tossed the balls into the air. "Beartic! Emboar! Go!"

"I know now why Cyrino needs Groudon to get Jirachi," Scarlet explained and smirked as Jolteon returned, holding the wooden box between his small jaws. "It's actually quite simple really; so simple that no one would've guessed it."

Khan and Krookodile watched as he ruffled Jolteon's spiky fur in gratitude and took the box before opening it. Inside lay a dull-grey object that resembled a small star...similar to the star-key Cyrino had used to unlock the seal over Groudon.

"This...is a piece of Jirachi itself," the teen elaborated, earning a sceptical look from Khan. "Celikk's Zoroark handed it to me and the diary said Celikk had found it among ancient relics in his father's study. I think they wanted me to use this and stop Groudon."

"Don't joke around! How're we sure its the real thing?!" the young man barked, frustration welling up. "We don't have time for this. I have to get the people to safety."

"Yeah, you do that," Scarlet replied indifferently and closed his fingers around the star piece. "I'm going to take down that guy since White won't let me rest until he's stopped."

"That's right," White chipped in and put up her face of determination. "Just you wait, Khan. We'll save this city in no time!"

On cue, energy began to emanate from the star and Scarlet's gloves glowed brightly.

"New Boost detected," they beeped and a steely aura swirled around Scarlet. "Swapping all other Boosts to increase cell-space. Type-detected: Steel And Psychic."

The aura turned light blue and Scarlet closed his eyes before letting the energy grip him. Suddenly, the boy underwent a full-physical change as his hair grew longer and gained a streak of steely-blue. His clothes changed form into a long, white, slim-fit trenchcoat that parted into two, golden ends at the base. A single, golden star appeared on the back and blue pants sheathed his bottom-half. A black and gold scarf-like material looped round his neck and his gloves assumed a magnificent black and blue hue with mint-green crystals on the back of each hand.

"Legendary Boost activated."

Khan was awed.

White was determined.

And the new Scarlet before them felt a wave of energy that filled him with renewed confidence.

"We're bringing Cyrino down," he declared and summoned a human-sized steely-yellow sword with a star-shaped cross guard and a squared tip, making it look more like a rectangular slab of metal than a sword. However, a blue glow quickly marked the edge of the sword, going round it so fast, it looked like a chainsaw instead. Scarlet brandished the weapon and fingered his clothing with mild disdain. "Though I would've wanted something less Star Driver-ish."

White playfully smacked his shoulder before turning to Groudon. "So, guess this will be the final battle then."

"Yep," Scarlet replied and gripped his sword tightly. "Say the word White...and I'll follow it to the last damn letter."

The trainer nodded, ignoring the Druddigon circling them now. "Scarlet. Take down Groudon and beat Cyrino. I and Jolteon will handle the Druddigon Army."

"For starters, the proper syntax is _'__Jolteon and I'_," he replied and crouched low as golden energy swirled round his boots. "And...stay alive, Ditz."

BOOM!

Like a rocket, the golden hunter tore through the air in a stream of light and headed towards Groudon while White, Beartic, Emboar and Jolteon turned to the Druddigon.

_"Let the party," she began and pumped a fist (knocking out the Druddigon behind her). "BEGIN!"_

**-END OF CHAPTER VIII-**


	9. Superchunk

**IX**

"Yes! Burn It! Burn this imperfect city to the ground!" Cyrino cried like a madman and Groudon's jaws dropped open before spewing boiling jets of lava at every building in sight. People screamed and pokemon wailed but their oppressors were too drunk with blood lust and power to stop. Just when a family had been cornered by a group of Druddigon, a brilliant flash crashed right into the dragons and scattered them left and right. Without stopping, Scarlet continued on his one-track, Druddigon-filled path towards the looming Groudon a good distance away.

"Out of my way!" he cried and swung his weapon at the Druddigon, mowing them down with one swipe.

Meanwhile, White's eyes ignited in purple and she began her own counter attack.

"Beartic, Icicle Crash! Emboar, Flamethrower!"

Her pokemon unleashed their respective attacks and blew away the pokemon surrounding them before moving on to the next street. Jolteon cleared some of the Druddigon with a series of Double Kicks to the chest while Khan's Krookodile sent Earthquakes their way, making them stumble and fall back. Even then, they refused to give up and, with joint roars, pushed towards the trainer and her pokemon.

"I see your pain, Druddigon!" she cried in sympathy and tugged on her cap. "That's why I'll save you from Cyrino's enslavement! Emboar, Flame Charge! Beartic, Surf!"

Coating herself in a fiery haze, White's Mega Fire Pig charged forward and rammed through several of her enemies, knocking them back and forcing the orbs out from their systems. A second later, the other Druddigon were quickly washed away by a large wave of water from White's Freezing Pokémon.

"Protect the people!" Khan yelled, having called his gang of men with their Krokorok. "Subdue any enemy Druddigon that tries to harm them!"

His men and their pokémon roared in compliance and fell against the Druddigon nearby, beating them so hard that the orbs within them got forced out.

"Take this!" he cried, swinging a stone mace against a Druddigon's back before spinning and ramming another one in the gut. Both pokémon fainted, coughing up their orbs and passing out gratefully. Suddenly, a man cried "Incoming!" and Khan was knocked off his feet as a flaming meteor smashed into the road behind him.

"Foolish people. No matter how hard you fight, there is no escape!" Cyrino bellowed as Groudon charged another meteor. "Just stand there and accept your fate-"

"I don't think so!"

Cyrino looked back and was surprised to see a glowing Scarlet running up Groudon's tail. Golden, flame-like sparks of energy pooled around his massive blade and the hunter jumped before smacking his weapon into Groudon's back with all his strength. Though it didn't hurt it, the attack certainly did its job of making the Continent Pokémon lose its concentration and hence stop its attack.

"Insolent brat!" Cyrino hissed and stepped back as Scarlet landed on Groudon's broad head. "What trick have you conjured up this time? And what is with that strange outfit?"

"Oh, this?" Scarlet asked, tugging on the magnificent cloak. "It came with the boost. I can't really explain but we'll find out its uses soon enough!" At the last sentence, he slashed at Cyrino again only for the man to dodge and laugh.

"This place isn't big enough for two people, Scarlet! I'll have to make you move!"

"On the contrary," the younger ravenette jeered and tightened the grip on his chainsaw-blade. "Groudon's head can conveniently fit thirty people so I think we can manage."

"Hmph! Cheeky!" Cyrino remarked and clapped his hands together before pulling them apart, summoning a long, blue energy blade between his arms. "Hurry up and go to hell!"

"Already been there!" Scarlet replied, surging forward again and clashing his sword against Cyrino's weapon. The two pushed against each other before pulling back and rapidly jabbing at each other. Sparks flew as energy blade clashed with energy blade and the two pulled back with equal looks of surprise.

"They're evenly-matched?" Cyrino gasped.

"Then it comes down to who swings hardest!" Scarlet retorted, already drawing close to his foe. This time, he went for an undercut and nearly chopped Cyrino's legs off though his attack was blocked by the man's blade. Pulling back, Scarlet spun and beat against Cyrino's weapon, making the man stagger back with each hit. Finally, the boy broke Cyrino's blade and kicked him hard in the chest, making the man stumble and fall atop Groudon's head. Before he could get back up, Scarlet pointed the sword at his neck, a stern expression on his face.

"Can't you see how pointless all this is, Cyrino?" he asked harshly. "You claim to search for perfection but the truth is that such things do not exist. Now give up and call Groudon off."

Cyrino giggled coldly before suddenly pulling out another energy blade and smacking Scarlet's blade away from his neck. The teen quickly regained his balance but Cyrino had gotten up already and was now taking the offensive.

"Call off Groudon? Never! Questioning the existence of perfection?! You must be joking!" he jeered, bringing out another set of weapons, two blue, curved swords this time and swung them at Scarlet ferociously. "You'll see soon enough, boy! This wretched world shall be reborn in a new light as I reshape it with Groudon. All thanks to the Blue Orb's help."

"Bastard! You built that orb on the life of your own sister!" Scarlet snapped and hammered against Cyrino with a psychic fist before raising his sword and bringing it down on the man's head. Cyrino blocked the sword with his own two blades and felt his arms seize up as Scarlet used another psychic attack to bind his arms. However, Cyrino tore the attack off and extended his swords before letting his eyes go radiant blue. On cue, energy spheres formed and he sent them at Scarlet rapidly. With sharp movements, the hunter jumped past the first one, slid under the next and cut the third one in two, making it explode loudly behind him. He made quick work of the others before running towards Cyrino again.

"Why are you so devoted to meddling in my country's affairs?!" Cyrino barked and locked swords with him again. "You're an outsider with no ties here whatsoever. I doubt you're even in the same time range as us now, so what makes you want to pry?"

"News flash, you're technically an outsider too," Scarlet replied with a smirk and pushed harder against Cyrino. "Plus, I haven't had this much of an exercise in a while. But more importantly, this event brings back memories and I think beating you down just might quell them. Also, I won't forgive anybody who hurts their own family."

"You don't understand!" Cyrino stated and pushed Scarlet away before reigning deadly slashes on the boy. To his surprise, Scarlet simply put up his cloak and deflected the attacks.

"A fibre harder than steel. Guess this is like a shield for me," the boy remarked and drew his sword back before ramming its flat end into Cyrino's side, making the man gasp. Though he could reduce pain, getting struck by a weapon fashioned from a legendary pokemon's DNA was enough to make his body vibrate with aftershocks. Gritting his teeth, Cyrino slashed at Scarlet and actually ripped the cloak's front a little.

"Even if you're coated in a skin harder than steel, I will break it with my resolve and the Blue Orb's power!" he cried and kicked Scarlet back before raising his hands and smiling. "Did you know that I can now use the Kami Trio's power at will?"

Scarlet suddenly jumped back, dodging a thunderbolt from above that. The attack obviously didn't put Groudon at risk as it was a ground type anyway.

"Take this!" Cyrino cried and the wind around him suddenly twisted into a large tornado. The attack flung itself at Scarlet and the boy put his blade up before blocking the tornado, dissipating it as he took a sharp slash. His eyes widened though as he saw a pillar of magma heading straight for him and he cartwheeled to the side, avoiding it with the full knowledge that steel didn't do too well against immense heat of any kind.

"You need to stop, Cyrino! Isn't it enough that you've got all this power? And is perfection what you really want? Or are you just finding an excuse to destroy Arjrabal because you couldn't rule it?"

Cyrino blinked before chuckling darkly and summoning a ball of lava. "I'm over that, if you haven't noticed. Sulking only got me killed anyway." With a yell, he flung the ball at Scarlet and the boy had to jump away again though the hem of his coat got partially singed. "It looks like you're not doing so well against lava, Scarlet. What's the matter, heat too much for you?"

"I would've been in trouble but then again, I wouldn't have been able to do this!" Scarlet replied and used his psychic attributes to coat lava in bubbles of energy before sending them like bullets at Cyrino. The latter used his energy blades to deflect them before hissing as one of them grazed his cheek, though the wound sealed up almost immediately. "Looks like you're not too good with lava either. What a coincidence, magma melts both steel and Blue Orbs."

"Tch!" Cyrino spun his blades before dashing at Scarlet again. "You're annoying, brat!"

"I get that a lot!" Scarlet snapped back sarcastically and dodged a slash. "But you know, Cyrino, I never heard of heaven being created on bloodshed. Face it, man. Your views are warped. Perfection isn't real."

"And why do you think that?" the man yelled, slashing again. "What makes you so confident of that fact?"

"Because this perfection in your eyes has no definite, physical meaning!" Scarlet replied and deflected his foe's weapon before trying a fast jab. "What it is to you differs from what it is to another person or pokemon! You think destroying and rebuilding the world is gonna bring you that so-called completeness? Wrong, buddy! You're only causing trouble for the world!"

Cyrino's smile faltered and his slashes became more ferocious. "Don't try to correct me, brat! Do you even understand why I want perfection for this world? It's so that people like my racist murderer wouldn't exist!"

"So it finally comes out!" Scarlet declared and matched blade ferocity.

* * *

_Arjrabal Western._

Mana slowly opened his eyes and quickly sat up before hissing as pain surged through his sides and chest. But that was a relief as it meant he hadn't died. He considered himself lucky for having swallowed the stone as his healing system had kicked up quickly though it surely cost him a considerable amount of stamina and energy. It wasn't like the Blue Orb in him possessed infinite power; after all, it was an incomplete version and unlike pokemon, the orb tended to attach itself to the soul, meaning that complete consumption of its power meant complete wasting away of the soul resulting in death.

"But I have to help the others," he stated and got off his hospital bed before looking to the window in shock. The sky had blackened completely and destructive fire provided the only source of lighting on the streets, casting eerie shadows and ominous foreboding over Arjrabal. To make matters worse, Mana could see a large red mass in the far distance, making its way towards the palace at Central. "Groudon is awake? Curses...I was too late..."

The boy turned away and froze upon seeing a familiar girl lying still on the other hospital bed. Her chest had been bandaged and the bleeding had stopped but she wasn't breathing. In fact, her skin was cold and paler than ever upon Mana's touch.

"Princess..." he bemoaned and felt his eyes stinging with tears. "You can't have died...could you?"

Despite her appearance, it was a little hard to say if that was true because her henna marks still glowed though a lot fainter than before.

"That vile man," the boy muttered bitterly and clenched his fists before lowering his head and weeping silently. "Even after everything, I still couldn't beat him and protect you. Forgive me, Nella. I wasn't worthy of being called your friend and I still am especially after all I must've put you through...I guess I really am just a weak and useless half-breed that causes nothing but grief for others."

Taking her lifeless body, he hugged the girl and choked back sobs as memories of all the trouble and antics she'd get him into sifted into his mind. He'd never see her happy smile again or get to hear her scolding Khan or even hear her beautiful singing. Nella was gone. And he couldn't do a thing.

...Or could he...?

He remembered what Scarlet had quoted from Celikk's diary about him using an incomplete Blue Orb to revive Cyrino, though he ended up bringing back an empty shell. If Nella was still alive deep down, then he wouldn't have to worry about not resurrecting just a cadaver. As for the blue orb needed, he had one right here...within himself.

"But...that'll surely mean death for me..." he muttered. "I won't be able to fight Cyrino without it too..."

A shape floated towards the boy and he looked back to see his trusted Claydol staring expectantly at him.

"You...want me to do it?" Mana asked, recognising the look in its pink eyes. "But I won't have enough to-"

The pokemon hummed again and Mana paused. _What is your resolve, Mana?_

"My resolve?" he echoed. "To take revenge on...no...to protect Arjrabal's peace and perhaps change the future relationship between foreigners and Arjrabalians. I don't mind if I'm still called names...it just hurts when I hear them oppressing innocent foreigners..."

_And why do you want to do that, Mana? Why do you want to change Arjrabal's future? And what makes you think you won't end up destroying it like Cyrino?_

Mana closed his eyes before opening them as they blazed blue once more. "Because it will be a future where Nella, Khan and Bu shall be happy."

Claydol nodded in response and, though it couldn't smile, exhibited a happy disposition. That is your true resolve. As your friend and partner, let me help you.

"What?" he asked and his eyes widened as he the Clay Doll Pokemon lift a tiny blue shard from behind itself. "Where did you-"

_I found it in one of those traitorous men's clothing after I blew them away. I have made my decision, Mana. I will use this stone and together, we shall heal Nella's grave injury and still have enough to fight Cyrino. Besides, I know what you're already thinking and I am glad to say that you're not dying alone._

The boy made to protest but stopped upon seeing the determined look in Claydol's eyes. Sighing in defeat, he smiled and rolled up his sleeves. "Thanks, Claydol. Now let's save Nella."

_Yes!_ the pokemon replied and put the stone on its back before humming loudly as pain and energy surged through its bulk. But it endured and allowed the transformation to take its course, feeling a significant boost in mental and physical power. I'm ready, Mana.

Together, the duo laid their hands against her chest and closed their eyes.

"Live, Nella," Mana whispered and a bluish glow surrounded the room as they used the aura within their orbs to close the injury in her heart and reawaken her senses. Her henna marks also began to glow in resonance and Mana stiffened as he felt a significant portion of his stamina disappear. Steeling himself, he grinned to Claydol who was already sweating from the energy drain. In a second, the blue light converged around Nella and began to whistle shrilly as more and more energy was pumped into it. Just when Mana had felt nearly all his energy drain away, the reaction stopped and he stumbled back before slumping against the wall, panting in exhaustion. Claydol followed suit and sat on the ground while regaining its lost breath.

Do...you...think it worked? Claydol asked between huffs.

"We'll just have to believe," he replied and dragged himself up before placing a hand against Nella's cheek. It still felt cold. "It wasn't enough?"

Claydol looked down sadly and spun its arms slowly. At least we tried...even with all that energy we gave up.

The boy was just about turning away in shame before hearing a sound that made his heart swell with happiness and relief.

"Mana..."

Forgetting his exhaustion, Mana turned towards Claydol and hi-fived the equally happy pokemon. "She's alive!"

Colour slowly returned to Nella's face and her chest began to rise and fall again, indicating breathing. Blue eyes flicking open, the girl looked around hazily before sitting up and stretching. Her body had felt like it had just woken up from a year long nap and that made her feel quite stiff all over. She was slightly peeved at the fact that she had just been awoken from a very happy dream where her family watched the most beautiful Flygon Lifting ever. However, a voice called out to her and she suddenly found herself being pulled through a blue tunnel of light.

Live, Nella. Those two words brought back all the events that had transpired up until now and she frankly believed she had died. To her relief though, she was just as alive as ever and her wound had closed up too; quite an odd event since a Shrine Maiden's power can't be used on herself to that degree.

"Princess." Nella quickly looked to her side and saw Mana, tired out and sweaty but smiling in relief, leaning beside her bed. "It worked."

"Mana?" she asked before clasping her arms round him in a hug. "Where've you been? I thought I'd never see you again."

"But I'm here now. That counts, right?" he laughed weakly before peeling her off. "I'm happy you're alive, my princess. But it doesn't look like I'll have the time to boast for long since Claydol and I have to get back into the fight."

Nella blinked. "Fight?"

Mana nodded and pointed to the window. The redhead gasped upon seeing the chaotic setting. Central was up in flames and magma pillars erupted here and there like red fireworks. The clouds were blackened with reddish tints and lava coated most of the streets...and was that Groudon over the city horizon?!

"Oh no..." she muttered.

"Indeed. Scarlet, White, Jolteon and Khan are probably there right now so we're going over to assist before Cyrino reaches the Wishing Star," the boy explained, stepping onto the window ledge.

"But Mana, you don't look too well," she pointed out and grabbed his arm. "You used the blue orb in you to heal me, right? That must've taken a lot from you guys and I'm pretty sure you need rest."

"I know. But we can't rest while our friends are risking their lives to save Arjrabal," Mana gently objected and held Nella's hands in his own. "I'll be fine."

Nella stared at him before blinking back tears. "You're lying..." she whispered and shook her head. "You're lying, Mana..."

Her friend smiled and let go before letting Claydol hover outside. "I will protect this city and make you and Khan proud. Thanks for still considering me as a friend, Nella."

With that, he hopped aboard Claydol's flat head and together, they blasted off towards the monster over the horizon before Nella could stop them.

"You idiot!" she wailed and grabbed a cloak before rushing downstairs as fast as her legs could carry her.

* * *

Arjrabal Central.

"To rid the world of narrow-minded stains like my murderer is impossible!" Cyrino barked, hammering his swords against Scarlet's weapon with the ferocity of an enraged Tyrannitar. His movements had become much sharper and Scarlet suddenly found it hard to keep up. "That is why the only way is to destroy it!"

"You're crazy!" his younger opponent barked back and took a slash to the side before using his own sword to ram against Cyrino's shoulder. Both ground their teeth at the painful clash before pulling back and circling each other. "Just because you want revenge on the man who killed you doesn't mean you have to destroy the world to do it. That's just punishing innocent people and though I couldn't have cared less, I've got a sister to protect!"

Scarlet lunged forward and clashed blades with Cyrino before kneeing the man in the gut. Cyrino gasped and stumbled over the back of Groudon's head, tumbling down its several-mile long back. Before he did though, he grabbed the hem of Scarlet's cloak and dragged him down too. Both tumbled before getting into standing positions and thus battling while sliding on Groudon's sloping back.

"Like I should care!" Cyrino cried and raised a hand, summoning giant red spikes from their scaly floor. Scarlet used his sword to cut them down before jumping over another ridge and sliding faster towards the man below. "You'll see her again in my perfect world anyway!"

"And how do you propose to do that?!" Scarlet growled and brought his blade down on Cyrino though the latter blocked them by placing his swords over his head.

"I'll simply wish for the star to bring them back as perfect beings like me!" he replied and pushed Scarlet's sword off before jumping high into the air. "That way, we shall all live in a world were there is no hatred for our fellow man, foreign or not!"

"Sorry," Scarlet yelled sarcastically and launched after him before hammering his sword multiple times into Cyrino's blocking blades. "But I don't think that's such a good idea. So long as you're bringing back humans, such emotions will continue to exist, no matter what! That's exactly what makes us human in the first place!"

BAM!

The hunter successfully executed a mid-air drop-kick on his foe's head, sending him back onto Groudon's back with a crash. Before Cyrino could get up again, Scarlet rocketed down and slammed his knee into Cyrino's chest, making the latter cough out blood. However, he grabbed Scarlet's foot and threw him off before charging after him and landing more slashes on his cloak. They were far more vicious now and the protective coating developed multiple shredded ends and crack-like marks. Tisking, Scarlet blocked Cyrino's swords and did a roundhouse kick to his face, knocking the man back.

"You're so ignorant..." Cyrino growled and his expression worsened. "You make yourself sound like some self-righteous sage when you yourself have some secret sin of your own!"

"Self-righteous? Me?" Scarlet sneered and brandished his blade. "Maybe it's the boost talking...or maybe I just find your ideals to be completely insane."

"You're wrong!" Cyrino roared and took a jab which Scarlet easily blocked. "All I've ever done is not only for my sake but for the sake of everyone else's happiness too! Don't you see, Scarlet? Perfection is the very raison d'etre rooted in every living being! People, Pokemon, even trees! We all strive for it because deep down we know that that is where true happiness lies!"

Hearing that made Scarlet scowl and make a swift undercut. Cyrino tried to block it but found himself losing his grip on his swords. In an instant, he was disarmed and Scarlet rammed the sword through his chest, pinning him to Groudon's stony flesh.

"I'm not mad at your ideals. Their crazy...but I wouldn't have minded giving them a second thought," the hunter mumbled and narrowed his eyes. "But you plan to attain this perfection by sacrificing the lives of others. I'm no angel and I've killed before too so I can overlook that. But-" his fingers trembled in anger as he remembered his own dark past. "-If there's one thing I will never forgive...it's when a man willingly kills his brother and sister to achieve a non-existent dream. Didn't you feel anything when you murdered Celikk?! You even smiled when you watched your own sister bleed before your very eyes! Now you plan to destroy the very city Nella slaved to rebuild...You may not be connected by blood, but so long as she calls you Brother, you have a responsibility to see to her happiness!"

Cyrino's face contorted with each word and his irises grew smaller as rage seeped into his trembling frame. "How dare you..."

He grabbed the broad edges of Scarlet's sword and with tremendous strength, began to pull it out, much to the teen's surprise. Sparks and energy seeped from the wound as Cyrino pulled harder and Scarlet felt the Blue Orb's raw power waft from the man's eyes and hands.

"**WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!**" the enraged man roared and pulled the blade out completely. His voice was so booming that it even struck Scarlet like an invisible wall. Suddenly, Cyrino was right up in his face and he balled his fists before placing multiple blows on Scarlet's torso. "YOU'RE JUST A KID!" **BAM!** "HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED REAL PAIN!" **BASH!** "DO YOU KNOW HOW HUMILIATED I FELT WHEN CELIKK WAS PICKED INSTEAD OF ME?!" **BANG!** "WHAT HAD I DONE?" **BAM!** "WAS I NOT GOOD ENOUGH?!" **BASH!**

Scarlet's eyes trembled as his body was subjected to punishing energy blasts and blows. He simply couldn't block them all and in no time at all, his protective cloak was transformed into a tattered mess. His head swam as a punch broke his ribs and he tripped over a ledge before falling back. Before he hit the ground, Cyrino grabbed him by the neck and slammed his back against Groudon's back. They were at the base now but where still storeys high from the ground and Scarlet could see the monster's football-pitch-sized-tail sprawled behind Cyrino and dragging against the ground, tearing up buildings and roads like a red plough.

"Want to know why I wanted the throne?" Cyrino spat and tightened his hold on Scarlet's neck. The hunter tried to lift his sword but Cyrino quickly punched him in the gut, making him hack as he struggled to regain his lost breath. "It was so I could spare my brother and sister from the trouble of having to worry about these lofty ideals of mine. I wanted to make an Arjrabal where they could continue laughing and playing in peace and harmony with the lower or higher class and even with the foreigners. I wanted to unite Arjrabal and watch Nella grow up in its whimsical wonderland of happiness. But trust fate to mess up my plans and have Celikk chosen instead and for what? Blood. That's what. Our father definitely loved him more and used that accursed factor to provide a good reason to choose Celikk over me, the clearly qualified one. To make matters worse, I was then killed by a spiteful Arjrabalian servant when I left to calm myself down. Why? Why did life choose to treat me like this? That was when I decided that I would destroy this imperfect world that treated me unfairly and rebuild it to MY fancy. My perfection. A world where useless emotions such as fear and hatred doesn't exist."

Cyrino pulled Scarlet closer and charged up an energy ball in his hands. "And nothing, not even my brother's pleas will stop me. You're right, my view on perfection will surely differ but you will agree that it is a plan that will benefit everyone."

Scarlet breathed before forming a defiant smirk. "You're...crazy..."

"I see. Goodbye then," Cyrino stated and threw Scarlet over his shoulder before tossing the energy sphere at him. The ball exploded and Scarlet disappeared over the edge of Groudon's tail. "Hmph. Ignorant child."

In a minute, Groudon had reached the palace and stepped over the gates and walls before stopping at the marble structure below it.

"Now, Groudon! While the Star is crossing the heavens!" Cyrino cried and Groudon raised its arms before giving a tremendous roar that tore the above clouds apart. "The time is right, 1000 years have passed and all we need to do now is call for the Wishing Star to appear!"

Cyrino raised his arms before putting them to his chest where the orb lay. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and began to quietly chant some ancient words. The orb glowed with each sentence and strange star shapes began to appear on his forehead and chest. A moment later, Groudon glowed bright blue and stiffly looked to the skies before opening its jaws again, readying an eerie beam.

Down below, Khan and White heard a shrill whistle and looked back to see Groudon and Cyrino cloaked in light with no Scarlet in sight.

"What's going on?" Khan asked. "Is he already going to call the Star?"

"Scarly said that Jirachi crosses Arjrabal as a shooting star once in a thousand years," White pointed out before gasping. "They're probably going to shoot Jirachi down before it passes them!"

"Dammit!" Khan hissed and pushed back a Druddigon. "Even Scarlet couldn't stop him?!"

White chewed her lip in concern. Was Scarlet alright?

Suddenly, the shrill whistle of the wind ceased and Cyrino opened his blazing blue eyes before pointing to the sky. "Fire!"

Groudon let loose its gigantic beam and out of nowhere, a huge explosion rocked the sky. To their surprise, a small glimmering dot fell through the clouds and smashed into the palace's roof right before Groudon. The football-sized shell rolled a little before coming to rest beside at a wall and Cyrino laughed wickedly as Groudon lowered him towards the ground.

"I've finally done it," he murmured maniacally as he stepped closer towards the glowing steel ball with his arms extended. "Now I can make my wish."

The ball slowly opened and a grey baby-sized pokemon with a star-shaped "hat" floated out and rubbed its head, wincing painfully.

"That was some hit," it cooed in a child-like voice. "Jirachi almost passed out from that." Suddenly, a shadow loomed over it and Jirachi looked up and came face to face with the frightening man who shot it down. Tilting its head, the ignorant Wish Pokemon blinked twice. "Who're you? And why does Jirachi detect bad things from your soulless cask?"

"You're mine!" he laughed and made a grab at the pokemon though it dodged and floated up.

"Jirachi thinks you're a bad person and is reluctant to answer your wishes. Jirachi must make sure the evil man doesn't touch it or it will have to grant his vile wishes!"

"They're not vile!" Cyrino snapped and stretched an arm out, creating an extendible energy tentacle that tried to grab its floating target. Jirachi avoided it and began to flit away, glitter trailing behind it. Hissing in annoyance, Cyrino created more tentacles and sent them at Jirachi though the latter dodged each one with skilful ease. After two minutes of chasing, Cyrino got fed up and snapped his fingers. Three magma pillars suddenly blocked the pokemon's course and it turned back to see its livid summoner creeping towards it.

"Playtime's over, Jirachi," he chuckled darkly and extended energy arms. "Grant my wish!"

Jirachi coated itself in a pink psychic bubble and repelled the hands before whizzing into the sky with a playful squeal that seemed to mock Cyrino.

"That's it!" he cried and snapped his fingers. The unsuspecting pokemon didn't see Groudon's massive hand come down and it shrieked as the Continent Pokemon batted it back to the ground, making a crater upon impact.

"Ouch," Jirachi winced, slowly getting to its stubby feet. "This hot atmosphere isn't good for Jirachi. Must get to somewhere coo-OOF!"

"Not a chance, Jirachi," Cyrino hissed as his energy hands constricted round the tiny pokemon. Slowly, he drew it closer and smirked triumphantly. "I knew you couldn't operate too well in this heat. That's one of the reasons why I called Groudon over. Game Over, Jirachi. I win."

"Your intentions will only bring disruption in the world's balance. Jirachi wants you to reconsider," it replied solemnly while struggling with its bonds.

"Oh shut up," the man replied and extended a hand. "This is it. This is finally the moment where perfection shall begin." His hand got closer and Jirachi pulled its head as far back as it could manage. "Jirachi," 10 cm away. "I wish," 5 cm away. "I wish-"

"FOR YOU TO SHUT THE FUCK UP!" a voice cried from the side and Cyrino tasted a knuckle sandwich, beautifully served by none other than Scarlet himself. The hit sent him flying into a wall and Jirachi's bonds were promptly severed. The pokemon gratefully floated upwards and took a puzzled look at its saviour.

"Why does this human wear Jirachi's essence?" it inquired curiously and Scarlet rolled his eyes before wiping the blood off his head.

"I'm sure you don't do so well in heat. Come on, let's get outta here!" he stated and looked up. "Mana! I've got Jirachi! Let's go!"

From above, Claydol hummed and Mana looked over its head and down below. "Good! You owe us one for rescuing you from falling into that magma pit below!"

"Whatever," he replied and let Jirachi get on his head before coating his boots in psychic energy. "Hang tight, runt!"

Cyrino got up and his eyes went wide as he saw his wish taking off before his very eyes. "YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!"

"We love you too!" Scarlet sneered sarcastically before jetting off with Claydol and Mana following suit. With an angry roar, Cyrino quickly ran up Groudon's tail before pointing to the specks in the sky.

"Get them!"

Bellowing in compliance, Groudon lifted its bulky frame and started after them.

Scarlet looked back and swallowed before increasing his pace.

"Where exactly are we going, Scarlet?" Mana asked.

"Don't look at me! I 'm just doing my best to live!" he snapped childishly and the group sweatdropped. Jirachi looked back again and its black eyes suddenly widened.

"Jirachi says: **Incoming!**"

_**WOOOSH!**_

Scarlet and Mana scattered from each other just in time to avoid a long jet of magma fired from Groudon's jaws. Atop its head, Cyrino wildly twirled his arms and large pillars of fire randomly erupted from the roads, nearly burning the flying group. They narrowly dodged each pillar and Jirachi pulled a face at Cyrino before gasping as he conjured up several globs of lava and launched them like cannonballs.

"Hold on. This is gonna get bumpy!" Scarlet adviced and Jirachi gripped his hair tightly. On cue, the hunter dodged each boiling projectile in mid-air, twirling, diving and rising like a bird. Mana and Claydol instead chose to surround themselves in a blue light and deflect each attack though it drained more of their non-renewable energy. Once the fiery onslaught ceased, Scarlet turned and created a giant pink ball of psychic energy before hurling it at Groudon.

"Puny attacks won't work on us!" Cyrino yelled and Groudon raised a hand to block the attack. However, the ball stopped right before them and exploded quite loudly, creating a smoky explosion that temporarily blinded Cyrino and Groudon. By the time the smoke cleared, Scarlet, Mana, Claydol and Jirachi were gone and Cyrino trembled in rage before crying out angrily.

* * *

Arjrabal Southern.

Khan stood at the gate to the underground strong rooms and calmly ushered people in. "Don't push and move in an orderly line."

White and her pokemon sat down on the grass a good distance away, huffing and puffing for air.

"Those Druddigon were strong," she remarked and patted her pokemon. "You guys did a good job. Just wait a little longer until everyone evacuates then we won't have to worry about keeping watch."

Emboar and Beartic nodded while Jolteon trotted around impatiently.

"I guess you're worried too," White observed and laughed as Jolteon pretended not to care. He and Scarlet were so alike. Speaking of which, she hoped to Arceus that something hadn't happened to him. It was obvious that Cyrino's plans had been temporarily halted since nothing bad had happened yet but even so, Scarlet hadn't been seen. To make things worse, Mana and Nella had suddenly gone missing from the hospital at Western and that made the girl worry the more. Not to mention the fact that she had inhaled a little too much smoke and was feeling quite faint.

Suddenly, Jolteon barked and she turned to see Scarlet and Mana floating down from the blackened sky.

"Guys!" she cried, forgetting her light-headedness and running towards them before slamming into Scarlet in a crushing hug. "Thank Arceus you're alive. How'd it go and why's Jirachi on your head?"

"Choking! Choking!" the red-faced hunter blurted and White realised that she was squeezing him too hard. Withdrawing, she let Scarlet catch his breath before repeating her questions. "It's a long story but to put it simply, Cyrino's quite tough and he won't back down easily. Talking sense into him didn't work and beating sense into him kinda gave me cracked ribs. On the bright side, meet Jirachi, the piece Cyrino needs to finalise his goal."

"Hello!" Jirachi chirped and White blinked before breaking out in a smile.

"Cute!" she squealed and grabbed the pokemon before hugging it comically, eliciting joint sweatdrops from everyone.

"Anyway, we still need to stop that guy," Scarlet pointed out and lowered himself to White's chest where Jirachi sat between her arms. "Can we just use you to wish for Groudon to go back to sleep."

Jirachi tapped its chin in thought. "Hmm...Jirachi thinks so...but please remember that Jirachi'll only make one wish and that's it. What if you actually need that wish to restore Arjrabal or bring back lost lives or other important stuff?"

"Jirachi's right. We might need that wish to save Nella," Khan stated.

"No need. I healed her," Mana chipped in and looked to Jirachi. "Let me get this straight. Can you bring back the dead?"

The group fell silent as Jirachi stared. Slowly, the pokemon shook its head and the teens sighed with mixed feelings.

"Matters such as complete resurrection is impossible for Jirachi as it will mean transcending spiritual realms. A soul, once lost, can never be returned and it is foolish to think otherwise."

"There you have it," Mana stated and looked to the Groudon in the far distance. "Someone has to let Cyrino know that since he wants to kill off everybody before recreating the world."

"I doubt he'll listen in the state he's in," Scarlet remarked and turned to the others. "Let's just wish for Jirachi to send Groudon away."

"Jirachi just remembered! It can't do that one either as Groudon has to be unbound from the Blue Orb's hold before Jirachi can control it!" the pokemon piped up and Scarlet anime dropped.

"What exactly can you do?" he deadpanned in exasperation and Jirachi pouted before holding up two fingers.

"Two wishes," it stated and they all drew closer to White's chest. "Jirachi'll extend its services to two wishes but that'll mean 2000 years of beauty sleep."

"Really?" White gasped. "So we can wish for Groudon's bonds to break and wish for it to return?"

Scarlet paused to think before shaking his head. "That crazy Cyrino'll just bring it back. Why don't we wish for the Blue Orb to shatter?"

"No way! That'll kill Landorus, Thunderus and Tornadus!" Jirachi objected and everyone hung their heads. So many choices yet so many restrictions. Unknown to them, Mana and Claydol looked to each other and stepped forward.

"T-There...is a way to stop Groudon and save the Kami trio," he stuttered and looked down. "Jirachi should know. We can use a special move to pierce the Blue Orb and decompose it back into its four main components."

White looked to Jirachi. "Is that true?"

"You never asked," Jirachi said with a guilty pout.

"What's the move then?" Scarlet asked. "Tell me so we can execute it."

"Right," Jirachi stated with a nod. "It's called Doom Desire. My signature attack. If I can get close enough to Cyrino then the move should work. However, that will mean one wish wasted."

A thoughtful silence loomed over them before Scarlet sat down and pressed a finger to his forehead. "Hey Jirachi, if I've got your DNA...can I execute that move instead."

"...Yep." Jirachi pointed to the golden sword by his side. "That's my heart you're holding there so you can use it to unleash the move. Although, you'll need quite a some time to charge it up."

"Uh, guys. We might not have such a luxury of time," Khan remarked nervously and pointed. The group followed his finger and froze.

A wave. A gigantic wave of lava was being raised from the ground at Central and it looked like it was pointed at the Southern district.

"Oh shit!" Scarlet hissed and got up quickly. "If that wave gets here then it'll melt everything. Down to the strongrooms below!"

"What're we gonna do?" Khan cried frantically. "It's not like we can raise a wall in time!"

"Guys!" a voice from above cried and everyone looked up to see Nella and Bu hovering above them.

"Nella!" White gasped and darted over to them as they touched down a few metres away. "You're okay!"

"Yeah. Mana and Claydol sacrificed their aura to save me," she replied, jumping off Bu and quickly walking over to Khan. "You're okay, right?"

"A few cuts and bruises but I'll be alright," Khan replied and smiled broadly. "I'm just happy you're alive, Nella."

"Likewise," she replied and hugged him before turning to the burning Central. "While I was flying over, I heard Cyrino ranting about destroying the whole of Arjrabal if he couldn't have Jirachi. That villain's finally lost his mind and we have to come up with a way to stop him. I'm well aware of the restrictions in wishes that Jirachi can grant and I also know of the move required to deconstruct the Blue Orb. I assume Jirachi has told you all about it."

"I planned to do it myself," Scarlet replied and held up his sword. "I just need time."

"Then you shall have it," Mana piped up and looked to Jirachi. "How long?"

"Exactly ten minutes," Jirachi replied. Suddenly, the ground rumbled and White gasped upon seeing the massive wave begin to roll down turbulently, frying every building and structure in its path. Central was nearly gone now and it would take no more than two minutes before the fast-moving wave would spread to the Southern part of Arjrabal.

Mana looked to Claydol before swallowing. "I have a plan. I shall use my power to form a wall that will stop the wave. At the same time, some people have to keep Groudon busy while Scarlet charges up for the blow. When he gives the signal, Claydol can create an opening for him to fly through so he can unleash Doom Desire on Cyrino and the Blue Orb."

"But how can we reach Groudon and Cyrino when they're on the other side of the lava wave? I mean, not all of us have flying types," Khan pointed out.

"We shall help," someone offered and the group turned to see the Sultan and some of the royal guards along with members of Khan's gang and even the men who had once betrayed them. Several Baltoy, Claydol, Grumpig and Reuniclus lined before them, both tame and wild.

"Uncle," Nella called. "You should be in the strong room."

"And leave children to protect my city? Your father will never stop tormenting me in my dreams if I allowed such a thing," he joked, calling his personal pokemon, Alakazam, to his side. "You can use our psychic pokemon to lift you and your pokemon above the lava. That way, you won't have to worry about getting burned."

"Our own pokemon shall assist master Mana in setting up the wall that will shield the Southern District!" the guards boomed in unison.

"Master?" Mana echoed.

"Boss! Leave the distraction to us!" Khan's men bellowed and their Krokorok roared in compliance.

"Guys..." Khan murmured in pride.

"Let us adults have some fun too," the sultan remarked.

Nella stared before smiling and shrugging. "Have it your way then. Okay! I want one psychic type be assigned to a Krokorok each, pronto! To every guard pokemon in charge of the walls, get in position now! Set up your strongest psychic barriers to span the whole width of that lava wave from east to west! Move, move, move!"

"Yes ma'am!" they all saluted and everyone began to get in position.

"Scarlet, if you please," the girl requested.

"Yeah yeah," he replied and turned to Jirachi. "How do I activate it?"

"Simply concentrate all your energy into the blade until it goes completely white," Jirachi replied.

"Understood." With that, Scarlet turned towards the wave and held his sword firmly before closing his eyes. "I won't be able to move for a while, guys so don't let that magma through."

White let go of Jirachi and turned to Nella. "I'm joining the distraction team. Jolteon, Scraggy and I will get on Groudon and possibly hold Cyrino back long enough to let Scarly finish. Also, Mana looks a little tuckered out. Are you sure he's capable of holding that wall up?"

Nella gave him a glance before sighing. "It's his decision and he doesn't look like he'll back down. I'm just hoping that his energy doesn't deplete and then..."

White nodded understandingly and stepped over to Mana as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Yes, miss White," he asked.

"You're going to die if you put in too much energy, Mana," she pointed out. "Don't over-exert yourself."

"Like I said, you don't have to worry about someone like me," he replied and arched an eyebrow as she held up her pinkie.

"What did I say about bashing your self-worth," she reminded and poked him in the chest. "I've talked with Khan and by now, I'm sure you know that he's your friend true and true. So fulfil your end of the deal and keep your confidence up. It makes you look cool."

The boy gave a small smile and intertwined his pinkie with hers.

"New promise," he whispered and stared into her yellow eyes. "Don't forget me."

White blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

However, Mana quickly pulled away and got to the hill facing the lava wave. "Nella. I'm ready."

Nella flew over to White with Bu and extended a hand. "Come on. Let's team up and beat Cyrino."

"Right!" White replied and scooped up Jolteon before taking the redhead's hand and hoisting herself onto Bu's back. "I'm off, Scarly!"

"Be careful!" the ravenette called back and raised the sword forward. "I'm going to start!"

"The distraction team is ready!" Khan yelled and hopped aboard a Claydol.

"The wall team too!" the captain of the guards cried and the pokemon all grunted.

Nella flew before them and faced the lava wave as energy began to swirl around Scarlet. "Men. Pokemon. Today, we shall fight for not only for the country but for its people, foreign or Arjrabalian. I wish success upon us all and I pray that we shall all live to see the sunrise over a peaceful Arjrabal tomorrow." The redhead raised her fist. "For the progress of Arjrabal!"

"And the safety of its citizens!" everyone cried and Bu roared decisively before charging forward. Behind it, a multitude of floating pokemon followed suit while Mana took in a deep breath.

"Let's go!" he cried and as one, all the remaining psychic-types unleashed their high barrier attacks.

"Just you wait, Cyrino," Nella muttered determinedly and smirked. "If you think you can waltz in here and damage OUR city, then you've got another thing coming!"

* * *

Arjrabal Central.

"What the-" Cyrino muttered, peering at the shapes in the horizon. You could imagine his surprise when he saw Nella, alive for that matter, and her army of pyschic-type and ground-type pokemon flying towards him in droves.

"To all Krokorok units!" she called and pointed. "Stone Edge!"

"Scraggy, Focus Blast!" White ordered.

With joint battle cries, the pokemon unleashed their attacks at Groudon, landing well-placed blows on its chest, neck and underbelly. Just as the hail of stones seized, a large Focus Blast got the Continental Pokemon in the nose and Cyrino tisked in annoyance.

"Pathetic Durant! You think this can stop me?!" he barked and raised an arm. Groudon followed suit and lifted its gigantic arm before bringing it down on its foes. "Take this!"

"Scatter!" Nella cried and the army broke apart to dodge the sweeping hand above them. Just as Groudon's arm became directly horizontal, Nella used that chance to hop off Bu and land on the hand before pulling out a sword and running up the limb with only one man in her line of vision. "Cyrino!"

Cyrino looked back and quickly avoided her sudden slash. "Why're you still alive?!"

"I'm a lot tougher than I look! Besides, Mana pulled me back with the tiny bit of life I had left!" she barked and slashed again. "So boohoo to you, bastard!"

"Hmph! A wasted effort!" he grunted and grabbed her blade before breaking it in half. Despite this, Nella used that split second to jam to jagged stump into his shoulder before jumping back and as Jolteon came down on his head with a Double Kick.

"The goal is to make him lose concentration and drop the lava wave," White muttered and sighed. "I hope Nella and Jolteon are enough to do it."

"That's exactly why I'm here!" Khan yelled, flying past her on a Claydol with his two blades raised on both sides. "Prepare to be beaten into next week, Cyrino!"

Cyrino dodged Khan's first slash but failed to avoid a kick to the side as the young man spun around. Using that chance, Khan shoved one of his blades into Cyrino's chest, hoping to at least dent the Blue Orb rooted into it. However, the sword merely bounced off and, with a smirk, Cyrino drew his fist and socked Khan in the face, sending him tumbling towards the edge of Groudon's nose. Before he could fall over though, the 19 year old jammed a sword into Groudon's stony hide, using it as a suitable brake. Meanwhile, Jolteon tried an Iron Tail to Cyrino's side while Nella went for an underslash to his belly. Laughing maniacally, the man simply grabbed Jolteon's short tail with one hand and Nella's sword with the other before turning and flinging them into one of Groudon's wall-like head plates. Gasping as she slammed back-first into the hard plate, the redhead slid down next to Jolteon before slowly getting up again.

"We can't lose..." she muttered and Jolteon growled in agreement as he too got to his four feet.

"I thought you wanted perfection, Nella. Why can't you agree that my plans are simply for the good of the world?" Cyrino growled, watching her pull out a dagger.

"One: Your so-called view on perfection is warped. Two: You killed my own brother and nearly killed me in order to attain Groudon. And three: You're right. I do want perfection."

"Then-"

"But!" she interrupted and got into a different stance from before with one hand behind her back and the other pointing the dagger straight at him. With a start, he recognized it to be the royal stance specifically taught to them when he and Celikk were younger. "I finally understood that perfection does not exist. We'll never gain a true definition for it because it differs for everybody. So just stop already and return to your true self. Please."

Cyrino simply giggled mindlessly and narrowed his eyes to form a haughty expression. "I expected you to understand me...but you're just like everyone else. Oh well. Perhaps you'll see my point in your final moments!"

With that, he rushed towards her with a blue energy blade in his arms. Nella simply took a deep breath and waited. When his weapon was inches close to her face, she ducked sharply and jammed the blade into his elbow, disabling his arm temporarily. Before he could pull it out, she took another one and stabbed his knee before taking out another and repeating the action on each joint on his body. By the time she was done, he looked like a human pin cushion and Nella quickly whistled to Jolteon who unleashed a Discharge attack that coursed through the blades and sent 10000 volts of pure, unrestricted lightning into Cyrino's veins. A brilliant flash of electricity lighted the top of Groudon's head though it couldn't feel it and a charred Cyrino stumbled back with steam billowing from his mouth.

"Damn you!" he cried as his orb began to heal him again only for Khan to come from behind and jam his own long sword into Cyrino's side. Jolteon repeated the action and shocked Cyrino again and again, giving him no chance whatsoever to recover.

Back at Arjrabal Southern, the lava wave crashed against the high barriers and Mana literally had to push against it with all his might. Though the psychic-type pokemon were helping, everyone knew that the main support needed was Mana's orb which was sadly diminishing with each passing second.

"Must...hold on...!" he growled, feeling his muscles scream and flex as he struggled to keep his concentration. The lava was just five inches before his face with only the aura wall to stop it from swallowing him and though pain seared through his arms from the energy exertion, he knew he couldn't bring himself to drop the wall no matter what. He just had to hold out for a few minutes and hope that Nella, White, Khan and Jolteon could drop Cyrino's focus on the lava and thus stop it completely. "Hurry...Master Scarlet!"

"I know!" the ravenette barked, still piecing together every bit of Jirachi's vast energy into the sword which had begun glowing by now. "Just a little longer!"

Suddenly, Mana's sleeves began to shred and with a yell, he put in more power into their shield. "Hurry!"

Jirachi saw his struggle and gasped. It could clearly see his aura dropping to slivers now and he could die any minute. Yet he still held up the wall, braving the pain and exhaustion that accumulated in his chest. "Jirachi thinks Mana is planning to die."

Mana grit his teeth and struggled to look back at Jirachi. "I-I need a favor!"

Meanwhile, Cyrino clenched his fists and slowly lifted himself despite the numerous, punishing electric shocks he was subjected to.

"Y-You...kids..." he growled and Nella stepped back. "...Are seriously grating...on my nerves..."

"Impossible, he should've be down for much longer," Khan stuttered. "Is this the strength of his orb?"

White watched from above as Cyrino slowly lifted himself and shook her head. "No..this is the strength of his own resolve..."

Suddenly, blue energy swirled around him and red completely replaced his eye colour now.

"Oh no!" Khan cried as the man gave a mighty flex, sending all the daggers in him flying in every direction. Nella's direction included. "Watch out!"

"Khan!" both girls screamed as he stepped in front of her and took two short blades to the shoulder and one in the thigh.

"Dammit..." he growled in pain as his blood splashed against Groudon's hide. Trying to keep himself upright but failing all the way, Khan fell back and Nella quickly caught him before calling out to him frantically.

"Don't worry, Khan!" she stated and quickly pulled out the blades before rolling up her sleeves. "I'll heal you so you'll be okay in no time!"

"Don't count on it!" Cyrino grabbed her by the hair and slammed her against a tall, armoured plate before rapidly pinning her sleeves to it, rendering her immobile. "As a reward for your annoying tenacity, I'll let you watch as I destroy your precious city and kill your friends!"

"Nella!" White cried and Bu charged towards Cyrino only for him to extend a hand. With a deafening bellow, Groudon raised its arm and swatted the Mystic Pokemon, White and Scraggy away like flies. Screaming, the trio were sent all the way back to Southern and crashed into a building though Mana quickly used a piece of his powers to form a protective orb over them and cushion their crash. Luckily, they were unhurt. Unluckily, Mana's concentration dropped and his arms nearly fried as the wall weakened further.

"Master Scarlet!" he cried, struggling to keep the wall back up again as Cyrino now devoted more power into crashing the magma against their barrier. "Any time now!"

"Almost there!" Scarlet replied, feeling his hair go golden yellow and whip around his face as wind encircled him completely. "Five more minutes!"

Mana bit his lip and faced the lava again. He couldn't last two minutes with the amount of energy wasting away from him. Slowly, he looked to Jirachi. "Remember what we discussed."

"Jirachi doesn't like it...but Jirachi knows that's its for the best..." it replied sadly and began to glow brightly and levitate high up. Scarlet peeled open one eye and cocked an eyebrow. What were they-

"Mana! Stop! Don't do it!" he heard White yell and suddenly understood. "Don't make the wish!"

"Oi! What the hell're you doing, Mana?" he barked, still focusing on the sword. "I told you I'd be done soon!"

"Soon's not enough!" the boy yelled back as his shirt and pants shredded slightly from the growing blaze. "My energy's just about depleted and I'm been relying on my very lifeforce now! It won't hold for long and I can't let you guys burn!"

From atop Groudon, Cyrino spotted the shimmering Jirachi and panicked. "My Wish!"

Nella stared at the star before peering over Groudon's head and gasping. Mana was beginning to glow a bright blue now and that only meant one thing.

"No...Mana..." she murmured helplessly.

"All psychic-type pokemon, I want you to converge the wall on me, understood?" the white-haired boy yelled. "Let the magma be directed at me and me alone!"

"Just what're you thinking?!" a guard yelled as the pokemon gave him sceptical looks.

KRACK!

The wall was beginning to shatter no matter how hard the pokemon tried to hold it.

"I-I'm going t-to absorb a-all the m-magma a-and force it b-back at Groudon!" he stuttered, still holding up the breaking wall. "Hurry up and converge the wall!"

"Your blue orb is depleted, Mana! If you use your aura to manipulate it, you'll die for sure!" Scarlet yelled. "Just give me some t-"

"I DON'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE!" Mana barked, turning his head and revealing the tears running down his cheeks. "I'm on my last legs here and I'm only surviving right now because I'm desperately struggling to hold this sliver of life in check! Besides, when I drop this wall, my life's over! Please, let me be of some real use to Arjrabal! I want to save it, I desperately want to see it peaceful again with all its citizens and pokemon living together in harmony regardless of race! That is my resolution and, by Landorus, I will gladly give my life for it!"

"Annoying brat!" Cyrino yelled and formed an energy spear before launching it at the unsuspecting Mana. The weapon tore through his chest and Mana's eyes widened as his body further weakened from instant blood loss. Despite that, he stood strong and continued holding up the wall with all his might.

"Jirachi! I'm ready!" he blurted. "Please guys, converge the wall, now!"

The sultan hesitated but when the captain of guards placed a firm hand on his shoulder, he regrettably nodded after seeing the urgent yet drastically saddened look in her eyes which conveyed the message.

It was the only way.

"We have no choice," Salim blurted and raised his hand. The guard followed suit and barked his orders to the pokemon who nodded grimly and narrowed the lava into a funnel-like path with Mana at the receiving end.

"I wish," Mana began, blood pouring from his lips. "I wish to receive extra power to gain temporary control over the magma!"

"NO!" Cyrino roared as Jirachi closed its eyes.

"MANA!" Nella cried as the seam on its belly opened to reveal its Eye of Truth.

"DON'T BE AN IDIOT!" Khan yelled hoarsely, struggling with himself to get up as Jirachi's light enveloped the white-haired boy. The light disappeared for a second before bursting out again in a huge, light blue wave that solidified most of the magma as it swept through the entire Arjrabal.

The area was silent as Mana's body glowed brightly. Gaining new found strength, he wrenched out the spear and let it clatter against the ground before spreading his shimmering arms wide. All at once, his clothes were completely shredded and only the shape of his body could be seen through the dazzling glimmer.

"B-bastard!" Cyrino cried and Groudon opened fissure after fissure on the ground, forming waves of lava as high as mountains.

With one arm, Mana held back the incoming waves and turned to view his stunned comrades.

"Master Scarlet. I'll be using this last energy burst to return the lava to the ground now so the path can be clear for you guys. You've only got one chance to unleash Doom Desire so don't miss, okay?"

"Idiot! Why couldn't you just wish for an extension in life span or to regain your aura?" the ravenette barked.

Mana smiled and shrugged. "I guess I should let you know then. I pretty much died once the wall started to break. You can say that a miracle is what kept my body functioning though my soul had gone."

"But miracles don't-"

"It's true, Scarly." White laid a gentle hand on Scarlet's shoulder and he could see the tears streaming from her purple eyes. "His soul drained away so he used his undying will and Jirachi's powers as a last ditch effort to hold out long enough with that tiny piece of the incomplete Blue Orb he had left."

"Thank you for understanding, White," the boy said gratefully and raised a hand to wipe his cheeks. "Scarlet's power should be ready in two minutes so let me just say all I have to say while my body holds together. To my sultan, I thank you for housing me after the death of my parents and I sincerely apologise for deceiving you."

"It's okay..." the man mumbled lowly, clenching his fists to hold back his grief. "You're the most kind-hearted lad I've ever seen in years...a rare breed to this world."

"I'm honoured," Mana replied and looked to White and Scarlet. "Thanks for helping me out with my own unnecessary problems. I'm so sorry for lying to you and I hope you find it somewhere in your hearts to forgive a wretched liar like me."

"J-jerk," White sobbed and looked down to hide her tears. "...What did I say about bashing your self-worth?"

Scarlet chewed his lip before staring right into Mana's eyes. "Frankly, I knew you were going to die when you swallowed the Blue Orb yesterday. It made no difference who its bearer was because it completely sucks their souls, no matter their species or form. In fact, the only thing that surprises me is that you were able to hold out for so long. You're a reckless guy you know...and you did this for some country that doesn't take to well to you...Talk about righteousness."

"I'm silly that way, I guess," Mana laughed quietly.

"No you're not. I initially found it stupid...but in truth, I think it's cool," the hunter remarked as the golden energy finally formed a crackling, lance-shaped weapon. "Since your body'll die by the time you get rid of the lava, I think you should say goodbye to your best friends, jerk."

Mana nodded and turned to Groudon. "Let's go, Outsiders."

"Shut it, rapist," Scarlet replied with a smirk and sharply swung his weapon forward, instantly letting the energy dissipate to reveal an extremely long, pure white lance with markings on its sides. White gripped the long handle of the weapon just behind Scarlet's gloved hand and nodded to him as he looped an arm around her waist.

"Do it," she calmly ordered and psychic energy swirled round their feet before lifting them into the air.

"Blast off!" Jirachi cried and with a boom that could only have been made by a rocket, Scarlet and White burst forward with golden light trailing after them. At the same time, Mana instantly dropped the forcefield and spread his arms wide, instantly opening up a path through the magma waves for the duo above to pass through.

"GO!" he cried and the two shot through the path and burst out from the other end with the tip of their weapon aimed straight for the crazed man standing atop the gigantic red monster.

"Foolish children!" Cyrino barked and both he and Groudon summoned enormous pillars that shot towards them. "I'll kill you all!"

Scarlet tightened his hold on White and whispered, "Hold on, tight." In that instant, he began to rapidly weave through each pillar, flying over one, sliding down another, running up the third one and leaping off before racing again towards Cyrino.

"Take this!" the man roared and reared up another wave of magma only for the wave to suddenly solidify and shatter. Looking down quickly, Cyrino cursed as he saw their white-haired comrade flying on Bu and directing a wave of magma back at him and Groudon. "You-!"

"Nella! Khan!" Mana called and raised a hand to wave. "You guys are the best friends I could ever have! Thanks for everything!"

"Mana..." Nella murmured, eyes already welling with tears. "I'll miss you..."

Mana gave a reassuring thumbs-up and jumped off Bu to land on his already weakening Claydol, filling its bulk with some of his energy. "You can turn back if you want, Claydol. There's no reason for you to-"

If we're going down, we're going down together. I assume you already realised that! Claydol laughed and charged full-speed ahead towards Groudon.

"Figures. Well, it was an honour knowing you, partner!" Mana remarked and clenched his fists sharply, instantly converging the magma around him and Claydol. "We're gonna force Groudon back into its pit! To every psychic-type pokemon in Arjrabal, please lend me your strength!"

Like magic, pinkish energy swirled around the magma from every corner of the city and shaped the magma to into a large lava-ball around Mana and Claydol. Picture a lava-coated Flame Charge the half the size of Mount Chimney and you'll get a basic idea of what the obviously devastating move looked like.

Seeing trouble approaching, Cyrino panicked again and sent pillar after pillar at the two groups only for them to dodge, cut through, melt and shatter each one. White sharply pulled out her pokeball and called out Scraggy before gripping him by the waist and pointing him in Cyrino's direction.

"Clear the way and save Nella and Khan!" she ordered and pulled out another pokeball before calling out Emboar who landed on one of the flying pillars and ran beside her flying partners. "Carry Scraggy and get our friends off Groudon's head!"

Emboar saluted, scooped up Scraggy and in an incredible display of athletics, jumped from mid-air pillar to mid-air pillar while Scraggy sent Focus Blasts at any of the ones that came too close, shattering them from end to end. Emboar actually seemed faster than Scarlet as she got to Groudon's head before him and quickly mowed Cyrino over before picking Khan up. Scraggy undid the knives pinning Nella's sleeves before quickly beckoning her towards Emboar with a wave. Grateful, she climbed up the Mega Fire Pig's broad shoulders while Jolteon and Scraggy stuck fast to her head.

_Jump!_ Scraggy cried.

_Don't have to tell me twice!_ Emboar roared and dodged an energy ball fired from Cyrino before quickly jumping and sliding down Groudon's extensive back with her passengers screaming all the way down. In seconds, they got to the tip of the titan's tail and jumped off, landing on a cushion of psychic energy provided by the psychic-type pokemon in the area.

_They're safe, White! Do it now!_ Emboar yelled quickly and White relayed the message to Scarlet who nodded and boosted their speed.

"Why...?" Cyrino murmured seeing the teens coming for him with a giant ball of lava close behind them. Their light was dazzling; their determination, burning and their will to save Arjrabal virtually manifested into this joint attack they were executing now. But what unnerved Cyrino most was the look in their eyes. Despite possible injuries or death, they still pushed forward, damning the searing heat and mocking the sharp wind and thunder that tore past their skins and clothes. They didn't care about their own safety. "I don't understand! Why the hell would you risk your lives to save these worthless lives?!"

"They're NOT worthless!" White yelled as they tore through another pillar. "There is potential for greatness in every life on this planet! That's why thy're so different from each other!"

"Yes, humans and pokemon are born imperfect. That's a given. But it is that very imperfection, that oddity, that differentiates and yet unites us!" Mana added, skin already glowing glossy red. "If all humans and pokemon were born perfect, we'd all have to live the same lives! Frankly, that's boring!"

Cyrino's eyes widened as he looked to Scarlet. The ravenette said nothing but the look he was giving him conveyed a lot of messages. But there was one hidden thing there that the man wouldn't have spotted without taking a deep stare.

_I want to save you._

That was the same look Celikk had in his eyes, even when he was going to die. Deep down, Cyrino had hated having been brought back to life and not being able to die again no matter what he did. That same hatred had been the fuel for the awful fire he had incited upon Arjrabal in his efforts to satisfy his empty body.

A hole. A big, fat, invisible yet painful hole that had been torn open when he was revived. Celikk had seen that hole and had resolved to save him ever since. That was the whole point in everything that had led up to now.

"No..." he muttered as Scarlet and White neared Groudon. "Stay away! Don't look at me!" With a maddened scream, he raised an arm and Groudon put up its mighty paw to block the Doom Desire attack. Scarlet grit his teeth and drew the blade back before, together with White, thrusting it forward again and into Groudon's stony skin. Sparks flew and energy billowed. Wind blew from the collision and the duo had to narrow their eyes as everything became cloaked in golden light.

"Cyrino," Scarlet muttered and tightened his grip on the handle.

"Cyrino," White called and pushed along with her companion.

"We!" they cried in unison and Groudon's paw became enveloped in light.

"Will!" A hole began to appear in its grey palm.

"Save!" They tore through with a loud blast and appeared right before Cyrino's wide blue eyes.

"YOU!" They yelled and with all their might, ran him through in the chest with the lance, right where the Blue Orb was. Screaming, Cyrino staggered back but rooted his feet into Groudon's skin and grabbed the lance, using every bit of his power to pull it out and eliciting noisy crackles of energy from the wound.

"I can't end here!" he cried frantically and pulled harder, drawing it out inch by inch despite Scarlet's and White's pushing. "I can't be saved! Why can't you understand that?!"

"Listen to me, asshole!" Scarlet barked angrily. "I don't blame you for turning out this way! Anyone with an emotional hole as big as yours would clearly have resorted to crazy stuff just to fill it! But! You're not the only one who feels like this! I'll admit it, we're almost the same. Hell, I'm far worse than you! You think life gives you rocks? I got the shittiest end of it at a far younger age! Earlier on, you asked me what I knew. A lot more than you, idiot! So what if you didn't get picked? What if you felt unappreciated when you were killed? At least you don't know the face of your murderer! I had my own brother and mother killed before my eyes and got this horrible scar to boot! But I moved on! I lived for their sakes! And you know what, I'm finally coming out of that nightmare now whereas you are still asleep and in the middle of it!"

Cyrino flinched under his harsh tone but kept on frantically pushing, feeling that he could still prevail...until Scarlet left the blade handle to White and raised his fist, forming raw steel over it and encasing that further in psychic energy.

"Cyrino, look at things realistically and remember that this is all just a nightmare. So-" the ravenette stated, bringing his glowing fist forward with the force of a Machamp's. "-**WAKE** THE FUCK **UP!**"

**BAM!**

Cyrino's face compressed drastically as Scarlet's fist sank into the space between his eyes. Not only was it enough to outclass a powered-up Metagross' Bullet Punch, it also was enough to send Cyrino hurtling over the side of Groudon's head and into the solid rock below. Just as his back reached the ground, White and Scarlet came down with the lance again and with a unified yell, jammed it down on his chest and deep into the rocks, sending sand, wind and thunder flying around them with the occasional heavy sparks of blue energy.

"MY ORB!" Cyrino cried and struggled with the blade. "LET ME GO!"

"Not...a...CHANCE!" the teens yelled and sank it deeper, eliciting a scream from the man again as cracks spread out from the pierced orb. With a large tremor, the ground underneath cratered and red, blue and green light poured out from the shattering jewel before rising to the sky and manifesting as the three prisons holding Landorus, Thunderus and Tornadus captive. The big finale finally came as a loud and bright explosion rocked Arjrabal, cloaking everything in its vast blue hue.

* * *

_Time stood still at that split-second and Scarlet and White found themselves in an empty, white environment that stretched as far as the eyes could see._

_"Where...?" White muttered but trailed off as Scarlet pressed her close and kept his eyes forward. White followed his gaze and drew in a sharp breath as she saw Cyrino and an unknown man with a Zoroark staring back at them._

_"Hello," the slightly younger man greeted with a bow. "I'm Celikk. It's nice to finally meet the ones who finished what I started and saved my brother."_

_Their blank looks made him cock an eyebrow and Cyrino tisked before folding his arms and looking away. "You forgot to tell them where they were, bro."_

_"Oh! Forgive me," he laughed, waving Cyrino off playfully. "You're in the space between life and death. Heaven's Stairway, if you may call it."_

_"Heaven's stairway huh?" the hunter echoed and relaxed. "So...we ain't dead or anything?"_

_"Nope! Not in the least!" he replied happily and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I guess you're wondering why you're here then."_

_Celikk looked to Cyrino and gave a small nod. Letting his arms fall to his sides, the latter reciprocated the action and both bowed lowly._

_"Please forgive us for all the trouble we had put you and Arjrabal through."_

_"It was my fault for bringing Cyrino back to life without even considering the long term implications," Celikk stated and straightened up. "I think I deserved that punch instead of Cyrino here."_

_"You don't have to cover me..." the older ravenette grumbled and straightened up. "If anything, I deserve worse for all the sorrow I had brought on Arjrabal."_

_"But your soul was not with you," Celikk pointed out and clapped a hand over his shoulder. "I'm more ashamed of myself for desecrating your own grave and tearing open that big emotional hole by resurrecting your corpse. I messed up. Forgive?"_

_"Bro..." Cyrino lowered his head and the teens saw his shoulders tremble. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I can't believe I almost killed Nella for something as trivial as a non-existent dream...Oh Landorus, I'm a monster-"_

_"No you're not!" White exclaimed, stepping up to the man. "Like Celikk had said, you were incapable of making a good judgement because you had lost your soul. Even so, I know you never meant Nella any harm. Why else didn't you kill her right away when you had the chance back at the Abundant Shrine? Cyrino, that same girl is alive now and is planning to make you two proud of her efforts in handling Arjrabal's affairs. She's become a stronger leader than you and smarter than Celikk, no offence of course. If I were you guys, I'd be proud."_

_"I'm proud of her," Celikk chipped in with a smirk. "Always knew that little redhead was destined for greatness. That's my baby sister alright!" Slowly, he drew Cyrino into a hug and patted his back as the man sobbed. "White's right, bro. You're no monster to me and if anyone else says otherwise, I'll punch them hard so hard, they'll need a wish from Jirachi to get their faces back to normal again."_

_Cyrino nodded and sobbed silently before wiping his eyes and putting on a straight face again. "Thanks guys. I needed that. Scarlet, thank you too for that punch and those words. I know you're the type to not come right out with your feelings but I got the message loud and clear."_

_"Hmph!" Scarlet rested the sword against his shoulder and pouted. "I-it's not like I wanted to really save you and all. I was just doing it for Nella's sake. Besides...it's a fact that people feel better when they encounter someone far worse off than they are so I guess it was worth a shot telling you my history and all."_

_The group laughed at his tsundere-ness and Zoroark quickly gave Scarlet a lick before nudging at Celikk and Cyrino._

_"Oh, looks like it's time for us to go," Celikk remarked and extended a hand to Cyrino. "Your soul's been asleep up there all this while and we'll need your mind to awaken it, Cyrino."_

_Cyrino's eyes widened and his lips quivered in excitement. "Y-you mean..."_

_Celikk nodded and grinned broadly. "Come, Cyrino. Your soul awaits."_

_Shouting for joy, Cyrino grabbed Celikk's hand and they both turned with Zoroark in tow to face a light brighter than white than opened up behind them._

_"Heaven's Stairway..." White murmured and smiled as the brothers headed for it. "Enjoy heaven guys! May your souls rest in peace!"_

_Cyrino looked over his shoulder and waved wildly. "Thanks for everything, guys!"_

_"Before we go-" Celikk suddenly chipped in as the environment started to go into grey-scale. "It's a miracle that Mana's and Claydol's souls were rejected from the afterlife! I think they'll find a pleasant surprise waiting for them when they take down Groudon!"_

_White let out a joyful squeal and crushed the relieved Scarlet in a hug before bidding the trio farewells._

_"Best Wishes! Tell Nella we love her!" Cyrino yelled back and they disappeared into the bright light._

_Silence._

_"I guess it's time for us to go back now, huh?" White remarked, still clinging tightly to Scarlet's chest. With the way she was looking up at him with her big, yellow eyes, Scarlet couldn't help but blush and look away in embarrassment._

_"I think it's safe to say that we've solved the mystery then. Damn, that was surprisingly shorter than expected," he stated and ran a hand through his hair. "Those punks didn't even tell us how to get outta here."_

_White giggled. "Don't worry. There's the door right behind you."_

_The ravenette turned and ,true to her words like always, there was the bright, star-shaped hole floating behind them. How he came to not detect its presence evaded him but one thing was for sure._

_"Let's stop Groudon together!" White cheered and, together, they leapt through the portal and down the Stairway to Heaven._

**-END OF CHAPTER IX-**


	10. Case Closed

**X**

**BOOM!**

Mana's and Claydol's joint magma cannon placed a solid hit on Groudon's exposed chest and the Continental Pokemon let out an angry bellow as it staggered backwards and in the direction of the Abundant Shrine from whence it came.

"Just a little more..." Mana grunted and they pushed harder against Groudon's chest, doing their very best to move it further towards its pit. However, Groudon was free from Cyrino's control now and regained whatever ferocity that had remained dormant during the time when it had been bound under the Blue Orb's spell. Grunting, it grabbed the attack and pressed its feet into the ground before hurling them over its head and into the buildings behind it, making the lava ball burst on impact.

_It wasn't enough..._Claydol moaned tiredly as it hovered a good distance away from the flames before dropping down like a stone, sending Mana sprawling against the ground.

"Damn it...are we going to die in vain...?" the boy cursed as he felt his body finally give in. "Will we have contributed...nothing to this nation...?"

Groudon raised a hand and was just about bringing it down on them when an equally gigantic fist-shaped, steel pillar burst through the ground and delivered a nasty, ground-shaking uppercut to Groudon's lower jaw, pushing it away from the surprised duo.

"Hey, Mana! Good job pushing Groudon towards the Abundant Shrine!"

Mana looked up and saw Scarlet and White atop the massive pokemon's head with heroic grins on their faces.

"You're not dying anymore, Mannie!" White yelled. "I'm doubly sure of it!"

"And quit saying you didn't do anything to contribute in stopping Groudon. The modesty act gets a little old after two or three times!" Scarlet shouted and gave his signature grin. "And thanks for all the help! You did your fellow bishounen guys proud! Now let's finish what Cyrino started and put Groudon back to sleep!"

Suddenly, Mana felt a fresh burst of vitality and looked to his shoulder to see Jirachi sitting on it playfully and grinning cutely.

"Mana's soul came back for some reason and Jirachi felt nice enough to replenish Mana'a and Claydol's spent aura! Isn't Jirachi awesome!"

The boy sweatdropped a little but smiled as he felt his pain ebb away. Looking to Claydol, he sighed in relief to see the pokemon also confused and glad at tje miracle that had occurred.

"Shall we finish this then?" Nella asked confidently stepping beside Mana with the three coloured balls in her arms. Breathing in deeply, she extended the balls and her henna markings began to glow a radiant blue instead of the usual green. In seconds, the spheres lifted into the air and circled each other, producing light as they got faster and faster until they swelled in size and exploded, revealing the Kami Trio in their respective Therian Formes.

"No time for introductions, boys!" Scarlet cried from atop Groudon as it started to shake him and White off. "Help us push this big guy back into the Abundant Shrine! You too, Jirachi!"

"That's not a wish, right?" Jirachi asked and from the bemused glances it got, it didn't take up to a second for her to realise that as a big, fat OF COURSE NOT!

Grabbing White, Scarlet leapt off Groudon's head and landed on Tornadus' back; the latter opting to fly them safely back to the ground beside Nella and Mana.

"Let's do this!" the hunter declared and touched the base of Groudon's feet, copying as much of its god-like strength as his gloves could manage.

"Beartic! We'll need your Water attacks!" the trainer exclaimed, flinging her pokeball and releasing her Freezing Pokemon.

"Great Kami Trio, hear my plea! Assist us like you did our ancestors and lend us your strength once more!" Nella beseeched. The legendaries roared in compliance and faced Groudon with equal looks of fierce determination in their yellow eyes.

"I've still got control over the magma for a little longer so I'll help too!" Mana chipped in, accepting Nella's cloak to hide his apparent nakedness. No one really paid it any attention though as they were far too focused on the colossal Titan of Land before them.

Groudon roared, the legendaries tensed, Beartic put his hands close, Scarlet smirked and Mana took in a deep breath.

"Let's make this the best party Arjrabal's ever seen!" Scarlet declared and as one, they charged towards Groudon with everything they had.

The Continental Pokemon unleashed a large jet of magma at its foes but Mana quickly stopped it with his powers and redirected it back at the monster-pokemon's eyes, blinding it temporarily. In its rage, it blindly let fly several ground pillars and Scarlet huffed before clapping his hands together and slamming them against the ground, summoning pillars of his own to counter each attack while using the leftovers to hammer Groudon in the belly. At that moment, Groudon was able to see clearly again only for it to see three Hammer Arms sink into its right cheek and make it stagger backwards again. Before it could regain its balance, Jirachi's Gyro Ball crashed against its chest followed by a powered up Water Pulse attack from Beartic. Roaring in protest, Groudon raised a foot to begin and earthquake but was promptly surprised to see Scarlet dash forward and stop the foot midway his boosted strength, letting it land on him instead and cratering the ground below.

"HRAAAAR!" the hunter yelled and gave a mighty push, letting Groudon fall back and land in Central Plaza. "We're close now! Give it all you've got, guys!"

The fighters yelled back in agreement and struck harder at Groudon. Sighting its prison nearing its feet, Groudon became far more ferocious and suddenly began giving them lower chances of winning. First, it executed a plentiful Stone Edge attack which everyone had to dodge although they couldn't avoid them all. The legendaries suffered the most as they were naturally weak to Rock-type attacks. Despite that, they held strong and relentlessly blew away the large rocks with Protect barriers. Groudon still had more up its sleeves and with a smirk, it quickly created an Earthquake by slamming its large tail into the ground. This was enough to rock everyone on the ground off their feet and give it an opening to try and squish them under its foot. Just before it did though, a fiery hot Dragon Breath got it in the eye and Bu smirked from his position in the air while Krookodile sat on his back and fired away with multiple Stone Edges.

"To arms! Save Arjrabal!" Khan cried from atop a building and every pokemon in Arjrabal charged down the streets and into Groudon's feet, knocking it back further.

"Final stretch! Let's finish this, everyone!" Nella cried.

"YEAH!" they cheered and Landorus summoned two stony missiles before sending them into Groudon's gut. Thunderus let fly Dark Pulse and Tornadus summoned a Hurrican attack that, combined with Thunders' attack, sent Groudon inches before the hole.

"Launch me!" Scarlet cried, dashing towards Beartic who grabbed him, spun around and flung the boy towards Groudon with all his might before conjuring a large Ice Beam and sending it into Groudon's abdomen. Scarlet drew back a fist before sending it forward, both punching Groudon in the chest and summoning another massive pillar that jammed into its side and provided the necessary push needed for Groudon to fall into its deep lava pit with a loud splash.

"Mana!" Nella called.

"On it!" the boy replied, weaving the magma over Groudon and using it to hold it in places. "Scarlet!"

"I hear ya!" he grunted and formed pillars that wrapped around Groudon and tied it down completely. "White!"

"Jirachi!" she called out and touched the Wish Pokemon gently. "I wish Groudon was put back to sleep with a far stronger seal over it than that of Nella's ancestors, never to see the light of day until it becomes really and truly good!"

"And Jirachi says: Your Wish is My Command!" the pokemon chirped and opened its Eye of Truth while taking on a white glow. Instantly, Groudon felt its eyelids droop and with a tired moan, it sank down and disappeared beneath the lava. Afterwards, the ground rumbled and a black, shiny covering appeared over the hole, covering the pit entirely and forming a large star-shape on its surface, showing the seal used and thus bringing their long, harsh battle to an end.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Slowly, the panting Scarlet heard a faint noise and he looked up to see the citizens of Arjrabal, both foreign and pure-blooded, applauding the brave fighters who had stood against a god, braved severe temperature conditions and overcome Cyrino's misguided wrath. The applause turned into shouts and whistles and before long, Nella was hefted into the air by her people and was being paraded around Southern as a heroine. Scarlet, White, Jolteon and Mana weren't spared either as a myriad consisting of men, women, children and pokemon hiked them up with cheers and hoorays for their pure guts and sheer tenacity in saving Arjrabal.

Even Emboar, Beartic, Krookodile, Scraggy, Claydol and Bu where somehow or the other lifted by the fighting-type and psychic-type pokemon in the area and with a grand shout, the once-heated battlefield was transformed into a place of celebration.

All at once, the sky began to clear and Scarlet squinted at the clear and beautiful pink sunset that embraced Arjrabal like a loving mother with her awakening child.

"We spent nearly the whole day fighting off Groudon and I didn't get to sleep cos we were out doing temple run," White yawned, purple eyes fizzling back to golden yellow and drooping heavily. "I think we deserve a long sleep...but even then...I'm glad to have sacrificed it all for their sakes."

"Heh. Just enjoy the ride, ditz," Scarlet joked and relaxed over the people carrying him above their heads. "If saving the world meant riding human waves on a sunset like this...then I'm sure a day of no sleep is worth it."

White laughed and closed her eyes, finally succumbing to fatigue and dropping off to sleep despite the songs of praise going on.

"How're you doing over there, Mannie?" the hunter snickered upon seeing Mana's confused and dishevelled appearance, showing that he lacked any experience with human waves. "Ha. Amateur."

"I...don't deserve all this...do I?" the boy stuttered shyly as people chanted his name.

"Shut up and enjoy it already, snow head," Khan deadpanned from beside him and casually bopped a foot on a man's head. "Hey! Easy with that! Don't you know I'm injured?!"

Scarlet sweatdropped. "Injured people don't ride human waves in the first place. You'll only end up-"

Khan comically spurted blood from his mouth and passed out, completely unknown to the joyful Arjrabalians.

In minutes, they came to the Southern Plaza where Nella was placed on a suitable announcement platform with Bu, Mana and his Claydol at her left side. Scarlet, carrying the snoozing White bridal style, stood on her right with Jolteon, White's pokemon and Krookodile.

"My people!" the sultan greeted and gestured to Nella's group. "These are the courageous teenagers and pokemon who stood up to Cyrino and Groudon despite their cultural differences! If they could join hands and work together for the good of this nation then what stops us from doing the same? I hope for all of you to take a lesson from this! United, we stand! Divided, we fall! Starting today, it doesn't matter who you are, what class you're from or what culture either! We shall unite and live together in peace and harmony! Do I have an agreement?!"

The crowd was silent until a little girl burst through and climbed onto the platform.

"Minmi...?" Nella asked before grinning broadly. "Minmi!"

"Nella!" the girl cried and threw herself against the happy redhead who lifted her and spun her around with a laugh. Giving her an eskimo kiss, Nella placed the girl down and faced her people sternly.

"Think of a world where cute children like Minmi can freely run into people's arms without having to be restricted by racial differences. I want that world and she does too. My best friend-human friend, Bu-is a mixed-breed and yet he fought and nearly gave his life up for your safety. I'm sure he supports the sultan's notion too and only an ingrate would fail to not see just how well we can get along with others! Scarlet and White are also our best examples. They're not from here. Heck, they didn't even know Arjrabal truly existed but did that stop them from helping me? NO! Learn from this, guys. We may be living in paradise but that doesn't give us a reason to act pompous. Paradise should be shared with everyone, male and female, humans and pokemon, foreigners and real Arjrabalians. I support the notion. What about you?"

The crowd murmured uneasily and Nella was just about sighing before Scarlet chipped in his own speech.

"Anyone who disagrees can talk to me about their problems," he stated and bared his fangs in a creepy grin. "I'll _casually_ put in as much appeal into my _gentle_ persuasion as possible and _make_ you see reason."

"I agree!" one Arjrabalian man shouted.

"I agree!" a foreign woman called.

"Kroo-kodile!" Khan's Krookodile chipped in and slowly but surely, the whole crowd voiced their approval, not only because of Scarlet's potent threat but also because Nella's speech had truly touched their hearts.

"Then let us make peace with our neighbours and come to the main matter at hand," Salim stated and turned to Nella with a proud smile. "Princess Nella. As Sultan of Arjrabal and your uncle, I thank you on behalf of Arjrabal for your brilliant leadership and courage displayed in protecting this city. You'll make a fine queen in future."

Nella beamed and hugged Minmi close.

"Mana. You are the bravest, most patriotic and most kind-hearted lad I have ever seen. Every living Arjrabalian should follow your wonderful example, including me. Thank you for saving our city from burning. Your parents would've been proud."

The boy gave a small nod and looked down to hide the silly smile on his face as Claydol nudged him playfully.

"Khan," Salim called and the straight-faced young man was brought on a stretcher and placed before the sultan who kneeled and put a hand over his shoulder. "You've grown, boy, from that once hateful child to a fine young lad of upstanding behaviour and a strong sense of duty. Thank you for saving my niece and putting your all into fighting against Groudon and Cyrino."

"Sir!" Khan replied curtly with a salute and grinned as Krookodile loomed over him. "We're heroes, buddy." Laughing, Krookodile swung the poor teen around, definitely oblivious of the state he was in.

Salim rolled his amused eyes before finally turning to the three most important visitors who made all this possible. "Scarlet, White, Jolteon. You three are the strangest group I have ever seen with your near-magical technology and whatnot but I must admit that you were also the most interesting group of people to ever set foot-or should I say face- in this nation. Despite not knowing us at all, you tenaciously sought to solve our problems no matter the challenge and prevailed in your noble quest for the truth. What's more, you even saved us from Cyrino's menace multiple times. Really and truly, we all owe our lives and much more to you and your pokemon. Thank you. Thank you for being here with us and saving us. You are Arjrabal's greatest heroes and have marked your names in our history books."

Scarlet gave a small smile and shrugged. "Jeez. Heroes huh? Oh well, if that's how you see it. We're just happy to help in whatever way we can. Besides, I got back at Cyrino anyway so it's all good." Jolteon barked in compliance and Emboar snorted proudly as people cheered gratefully.

"And how can I forget our esteemed legendaries who contributed greatly to our safety," Salim stated, looking to the Kami Trio floating above them in their original Formes now. Jirachi playfully flew around the sultan before coming to rest on his turbaned head.

"Jirachi had the most fun today! It doesn't even feel like sleeping yet!" it sang happily and struck a pose. "Be grateful, people! Jirachi's wish saved the day!"

Everyone laughed at its silly pose and the pokemon pouted before lightening up a again and floating towards Minmi who cooed at its cute appearance and began to play with it.

"Hey Nella," Scarlet spoke up as soon as he got close enough. "Harvest Ceremony, remember?"

Blue eyes widening, she nodded and relayed the message to her uncle.

"I suppose you can do it right here if they allowed," he whispered and gave Landorus a questioning glance. The Abundance Pokemon simply nodded and folded its arms before consulting with its counterparts. After a minute, Landorus floated towards Nella and gave an approving nod before floating towards the back of the podium with Tornadus and Thunderus in tow. On cue, the herald stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat loudly, calling the crowd's attention.

"People of Arjrabal! As you all know, this is the day of the Harvest Ceremony and though it was interrupted by the historical events earlier, we plan to finish it and celebrate. And now, with the Kami Trio's permission, we shall get to see our very own princess perform the sacred prayer."

Everyone fell into quiet murmurs as the large stage was cleared of every object on its marble surface. Scarlet found a suitable park bench at the front and he gently placed White against the long bench before seating down and placing her head on his laps. Mana sat beside the ravenette and Khan got his nurse to finally leave him alone so he could plop down next to Mana. Meanwhile, Landorus, Thunderus and Tornadus hovered to the end of the platform, getting into their respective positions and watching as four tall Old Style lampstands with Lampent-shaped tops were erected on the four corners of the stage.

"To think we'll get to see the ceremony first hand. Luck's having a field day, right Jolteon?" Scarlet remarked.

_We deserve it after all,_ his furry partner replied, lying lazily on Scarlet's head like a fur hat. _Considering all the hassle we had to go through anyway._

The hunter nodded. "Guess you're right."

The lamps were lighted and Mana drew his knees up to his chin in slight excitement. "The ceremony that has been kept hidden for several tears...and I can't believe I'm alive to see it now."

"Does it excite you that much?" Scarlet inquired curiously and Khan gave a mocking snort.

"Of course it does. I've heard tales about how the songs sung by a Shrine Maiden on that day can melt even the stony heart of a Probopass. Plus, something amazing is said to happen and the fact that we've got four powerful legendaries here in our midst is enough to make anyone excited. Man, you're such a stiff."

"Look who's talking," the ravenette deadpanned.

Khan scowled before directing his gaze to the sleeping trainer on Scarlet's lap. "White will miss the ceremony if she doesn't wake up soon. Is she that tired?"

She kept up her purple eyes for a while. I won't be surprised if she doesn't wake up till tomorrow, Jolteon mused.

"She'll wake up when she feels like it," Scarlet stated and brushed some hair off White's face. "For now, let her rest."

Soon after, the crowd hushed as light drumbeats began to reverberate through the evening air. Walking through the pathway made for her by the crowd, Nella strutted towards the stage in new ceremonial clothes and took the steps before coming to a stop before the Kami Trio. Turning, she threw a solemn glance at her audience before kneeling and taking a deep breath.

"She's going to sing now," Mana whispered observationally, heart beating in anticipation. He always loved her singing and looked forward to the day when she would use her angelic tones for the ceremony, especially since people said that a Shrine Maiden's singing prowess soars even higher on that particular day.

Scarlet and Jolteon tuned their senses to Nella and waited for this so-called magnificent song. Surely it couldn't be that good.

The song started as a whisper. A low one that no one could hear unless they came really close. The fluid instrumentals that came from nowhere also dulled in tune to her vocals but slowly began to rise in tempo and tune. Nella's voice followed suit and changed from melancholic whispers to melodious tones, rising and falling like waves with each beat and rhythm provided by instruments. Suddenly, the volume spiked, signifying the end of the intro and changing the music from calm adagio to playful allegro. Nella's body also moved to each beat and she danced with as much precision as a Beautifly. The crowd also found themselves clapping to the music and in no time, her solemn song was transformed into a cheery chorus. Scarlet resisted the urge to join in and simply took in Mana's entranced expression. The same went for Khan, Jolteon and everyone else who heard her music.

To put it simply, Scarlet and Jolteon had to eat their words as the magical song dazzled their ears and conveyed all her feelings of gratitude to not only the people who helped in their battle but also the pokemon who contributed greatly.

"Beautiful, right?" Mana asked in a shaky voice. "And to think I wouldn't be here to hear it if not for you guys."

"Makes you happy to be alive, buddy!" Khan remarked cheerfully looping an arm around the white-haired boy. "Now shut up and enjoy the chorus! You too, Scarlet!"

"I'll pass. Clapping like a madman isn't my style," the ravenette objected flatly and returned to watching Nella sway and gyrate like an experienced gypsy. The music's tone also became more energetic and rose up till bursting point before stopping abruptly at the beat of a drum. The crowd ceased their rendition at the same time and Nella finally stopped spinning, finding herself standing before Landorus, Tornadus and Thunderus. Slowly, she raised her tattooed arms towards Landorus and the audience held their breaths as her arms and eyes started glowing bright orange. Incoherent whispers poured from her lips while the Kami Trio joined hands and circled round her solemnly. With a start, Scarlet and Jolteon noticed a rainbow spiral of aura wafting off the stage and the Kami Trio also started their own deep, incoherent incantations; their eyes were also glowing a deep red too. Suddenly, they split away and gave mighty roars and the crowd jumped in slight fright as a pillar of rainbow light burst from the heavens and enveloped Nella and the Kami Trio. At the same time, large, bright light-waves spread in circular motion from the four corners of the stage and Scarlet flinched upon their light touch. However, he and the others found that they had nothing to fear as the waves gently brushed past them and continued far and wide, spreading over every street, corner and end of the Southern District and beyond.

Then something amazing happened.

"H-Hey...my injuries are gone..." Khan stuttered, jumping up quickly to inspect himself. Scarlet arched an eyebrow before doing a double take at himself, suddenly feeling his aches disappear as the waves brushed past him. Jolteon, Mana, Claydol and Bu noticed the same thing and the psychic-types who had sustained injuries whooped and chirped in joy as their headaches and bruises vanished into thin air. The same went for the guards and everyone else who got injured in the big fight and a as one, they all realised that this was Nella's healing power at work, amplified by the Kami Trio's aura. The miracles didn't stop there and someone screamed in shock, making everyone turn back and gawk at the scene behind them.

Arjrabal Central had been completely restored, down to the last blade of luscious, green grass. It even looked far more beautiful than before and Scarlet pinched himself to see if he was dreaming.

"Sultan! The farming district at Northern just called and reported a sudden increase in crop harvest!" a messenger cried, running forward.

"Sir, the canals are flowing faster than ever! Our ecologists have reason to believe that a bigger underground spring developed right beneath Western!" another messanger reported, coming down from his Xatu. "We won't have to worry about using up our old one now."

"Your Eminence!" a man cried, dashing through the crowd and stopping to catch his breath before the sultan. "I'm the one who was in charge of guarding the city walls today and you may not believe this but the desert to the right of us...has a beach!"

"EHHH?!" Scarlet and his group cried in disbelief. "YOU'RE KIDDING!"

"No sirs!" he replied, shaking his head ferociously. "You should take a look for yourselves!"

"It's true!" a voice yelled and everyone looked up to see Khan and Bu already high up above them. "A vast sea that extends to nowhere! It's a miracle!"

"But...how?" Scarlet echoed and looked to the pillar. "Is this the power of Legendary Pokemon?"

"With Nella's intervention, I believe so," Mana replied and grinned from ear to ear. "This has never happened with the other shrine maidens. A new record for the history books, I guess."

"We've got a beach! YES!" Khan cheered, pumping a fist.

Salim stared at the pillar of light and sighed before looking to the sky and throwing a small smile. "Your daughter really loves this country, brother. Perhaps she's a better suited leader than I, seeing as how she's devoting herself to working with the Kami Trio and convincing them to better Arjrabal."

Even the slums were transformed into magnificent structures and Scarlet finally passed everything off as just another great mystery to the world. He wouldn't admit it as a miracle. Not yet anyway.

"Mmmm..."

The ravenette looked down to see White slowly awakening and her hazy eyes went wide upon noticing that her tiredness had dispelled.

"What happened?" she asked, looking around at the happy people before stopping at the rainbow pillar.

"Nella's performing the ceremony and...stuff...happened," Scarlet replied as she sat up straighter and stretched. "Looks like its almost over too."

True to his words, the pillar gradually diminished and thinned out until it disappeared from sight, darkening the plaza again. The crowd watched as Nella's eyes dimmed back to blue and she lowered her head to catch her breath as silence spread through the vicinity. Slowly, she raised herself up again and looked to the crowd before giving a toothy grin and making a V-for-Victini-Victory sign. All at once, everyone burst into cheers again and the people danced to the new music that began to play. Scarlet, White and Jolteon watched the celebration and smiled to each other before running up to Nella and helping her off the stage as she was too spent to even keep herself standing.

"You did your brothers proud, Nellie!" White congratulated, flashing a grin as soon as she heard the full story. "Good job!"

"Thanks White," the redhead replied, equally grinning. "Now that its over, I'm sure you guys are just itching for the party that's coming up soon."

"Yup!"

"Nella!" Mana caught up to them and threw a sheepish smile. "We're...changing the theme for the party."

Nella tilted her head, puzzled. "So...what's the theme then?"

Mana blushed and looked down shyly. "Uh...um...w-we're going to have a b-beach party..."

Scarlet blinked. Jolteon sweatdropped and White's expression totally brightened.

"BEACH PARTY? YES!" she screamed, pumping her right fist into the air...and knocking Khan backwards.

"Bitch! What was that for?!" he yelled, a tick mark forming as he felt his nose redden. "Why I oughta!"

In his comical rage, he lunged at White only for her to shriek and dodge, leaving him to accidentally hit Scarlet instead.

"You just love fighting, don't you?!" the teen retorted and promptly socked Khan in the gut, making him stagger and crash into one unsuspecting, burly man.

"Hey! Watch it!" the guy yelled and tried to punch Khan off but the latter dodged and the former ended up punching Mana's Claydol who snapped and angrily sent weak Psyshocks at every living thing in sight. Like fuel to the fire, the comical riot spread and the plaza was transformed into a free-for-all battle.

Mana stepped up to the stage and cleared his throat, stopping the fight instantly. "Citizens of Arjrabal. This is a day of honour and peace! Please, let us cease this unnecessary display of immaturity and-"

"That bloke just called us immature!" a woman butted in.

"Get him!" another one cried and Mana suddenly felt hands grab at his legs and pull him into the rowdy crowd. Laughing, Scarlet punched one man away and came face to face with White.

"Now this is a party!" she suddenly exclaimed and innocently crashed her fist into his face, sending him flying into Krookodile who unleashed dozens of Mud Slaps at everyone in an attempt to catch the now-running ravenette. Khan happily beat off some men that tried to grab him and met with the dazed Mana on the floor.

"Amateur," he scoffed and stepped over him to continue in Arjrabal's massive playfight. However, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Nella standing right in front of him. "Uh..."

"You..." Sticking a hand out, the mad redhead grabbed the nearest person-who happened to be Mana- and flung him at the screaming Khan. "IDIOT!"

BAM!

Both young men were hurled ten meters back and crashed into Bu who roared and batted them back with his green tail.

The celebration was hilarious and everyone punched away their stress and worries, laughing and cheering like mad men and pokemon. Salim watched everything from his safe position atop Landorus' shoulder and facepalmed before looking to the night sky again.

"Yes...Nella is well-suited for handling _these_ types of people."

* * *

Kami Beach. Arjrabal Western.

"Cheers!"

The teens clinked their wine glasses together and took deep swigs of their Sitrus Berry wine before gasping at its satisfying taste.

"Who brews these babies?" Scarlet remarked in awe and everyone laughed. The beach party was in session and various swimsuits were unleashed upon the newly formed beach. Scarlet, Mana and Khan had lost quite a considerable amount of blood via nosebleeding as they were subjected to the young women's bouncing furies. They lost even more when Nella and White came out of the changing room in two piece swimsuits that showed quite a lot of... you can complete the rest.

"Princess!" Mana had cried in horror with blood cascading from his nostrils. "The combination of the remarkably-low cut on your top and the moon's pure shine upon your luscious swells is enough to make any man-"

"HOT!" Scarlet had cut-in, doing his best to sheath his bleeding nose. "HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!"

And so, without further ado, the laughing girls had promptly dragged their friends into the water for beach ball and drown-the-prudish-Jolteon-who-chose-to-stand-in-the-corner-and-laugh. Even Krookodile dared to take a small step into the water and would've adjusted to it more had it not been for White's drunk Scraggy who suddenly felt like practising the drunken fist technique. Boys weren't the only ones that nosebled that night as several girls oohed and ahhed at Khan's abs and even Mana's toned, light muscles. Scarlet disappointed though as he instead chose to wear his signature clothing for swimming...a long, striped wet-suit that made him look like a Zebstrika. Hey, it was a lot better than showing off hideous scars and ruining the happy moment. Several minutes of swimming and shorts-pulling -in which they found out that Mana was a boy BTW! XD- later, the teens sat back on the sand were currently enjoying their refreshing drinks with their pokemon lying around them.

"Arjrabal's still got a long way to go..." Nella remarked, stretching a hand out to the numerous stars that dotted the beautiful midnight-blue sky.

"But we'll be here to help and see it through, Princess," Mana replied, throwing a smirk of determination.

"Every step of the way!" Khan grunted, smacking his fist into his palm. "That's what best friends are for."

Bu growled.

"Sorry. Best human-friends."

The pokemon nodded appreciatively and purred as the redhead scratched his neck playfully.

"Yeah," she replied and looked to the three visitors who had returned to the water to play with their pokemon. A scar-faced ravenette who seemed far wiser than his age and hinted at becoming something great in future. A yellow-eyed, busty girl with snow-white hair and a heart purer than the most refined of diamonds with a strong will and a kind spirit, definitely destined for greatness despite her evident lack of common sense. And a yellow, furry Lightning Pokemon who acted as mediator between the two, observing their every move and happily joining in their antics despite his sarcastic nature and all-round prudishness. A loyal friend to have in times of need, apparently. Together, they made an odd trio but their manners and behaviour shined brighter than any star.

"I wonder if they'll stay," Khan mused, sensing her thoughtful gaze. "I wouldn't mind having a sparring partner like scarface over there. White's also a good friend to talk to and Krookodile just loves getting into arguments with Jolteon."

"It's their decision. They're welcome to...but I get the feeling that they'll decline."

And they graciously did, minutes later once they re-emerged from the water.

"Sorry, but I've gotta fulfil my destiny and become the strongest trainer in Unova," White explained, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Plus, I can't tie Scarly and Jolteon down either since I've gotta show 'em to a certain pokemon once my quest is over."

Nella nodded understandingly and folded her arms behind her back. "I figured you'd say that."

"Hey White. Since we're done here, I think it's okay for us to leave," Scarlet announced, walking up to them. "How does tomorrow sound?"

"Eeh? No fair! I didn't even get to see the Flygon Lifting!" the trainer protested, puffing her cheeks. Nella rolled her eyes and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I doubt the Vibrava will-"

"Jirachi says: Don't lose hope!" The Wish Pokemon floated from nowhere and dropped onto Nella's head. "If you pray hard enough, they just might come back, seeing how much it means to you."

"Right right," Nella sighed and took the pokemon off before cradling it to her chest. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping right now?"

Jirachi pouted and crossed its little arms. "If you guys want Jirachi gone that badly then Jirachi's sure you'll be happy to know that its seven day waking period ends tomorrow."

"Eh? No way!" White protested again. "I wanted to keep you!"

Scarlet smirked. "Holding down a legendary star that probably keeps the cosmic balance of the universe in check by its thousand year revolution round the earth? You must be joking."

"You weren't a nuisance to us, Jirachi. In fact, we owe our lives to you," Mana remarked, scratching the pokemon's cheek lightly. "You were the biggest help out there."

"Thought I was the biggest help," Scarlet grumbled and everyone laughed before stopping as a small sensation began to pound on their heads. Khan held up a hand and felt his eyes grow wide.

"Rain?"

"We haven't had that since the fire!" Mana gasped and shivered as the rain intensified. But it wasn't from cold. It was more from happiness that their crops would gain a fresh gulp of more water without them having to activate irrigation systems via water-type pokemon.

"Hm. Luck's having a field day, right buddy?" Scarlet asked.

_You have no idea. Now get me out of this rain before I catch a cold!_

On cue, White sneezed and everyone decided that it would be best to retire for the night. As one, they hurried off to the palace at Central via underground trams and gladly awaited the next sunrise that led to a whole new tomorrow. White took one last look at the beach and remembered an old saying from her own brother whenever it rained like this.

_"Arceus is in his heaven. All's right with the world. Black...I hope I made you proud too."_

**-END OF CHAPTER X-**


	11. L'escalier En Ciel

**EPILOGUE**

_The next day at the Arjrabal Eastern Gate._

Scarlet readied his bike and dropped his bag in the baggage hold at the front before dusting his hands with a relieved sigh. "Well, that's all for my stuff. And now that the GPS works again, I know the right way for us to go without having to rely on White's_ wonderful_ navigation skills."

Turning, he looked at the vast expanse of environment and whistled. Everything contrasted now. A sandy desert lay to the left and right beside it was an endless sea from where the sun had finally started to rise, making it look like one of those beautiful piers in cape towns. Trees dotted the landscape too and mountains could be seen in the far distance. Pokémon also waddled or ran about too and the hunter made a small remark about how alive everything seemed now.

"White! We don't have all day!" he suddenly barked, turning to the gate. "We've gotta leave here before a sandstorm throws us off track!"

A second later, White popped out from the opened city-gates carrying a large amount of souvenirs with her that looked more like junk than artefacts.

"I'm selling those," he warned, seeing as she wanted to fit them in his bike. Pouting, she dropped them and picked up a blue pendant before tossing it around her neck.

"How do I look?" she asked, showing it off.

"The same. Now let's say our goodbyes and-OW! What was that for?!"

"Meanie! I hope you go bald in the near-future!" White grumbled, retracting her fist. "You should take a souvenir too, seeing as they're so fancy. I just found the perfect earrings for Jolteon!"

Jolteon shrank back in horror and scurried up Scarlet's leg before latching himself to the boy's face, yowling and begging for mercy. She and Nella had already subjected him to Arabian-styled makeovers and dress-ups last night and he was in no mood to be laughed at again.

"I guess this is it."

The trio turned to see Nella, Mana and Khan with their respective pokemon beside them, standing at the gates. What surprised them was that they were wearing normal clothes. Like plain shirts, jackets, shorts and stuff instead of the traditional Arabian apparel that made them look like they jumped out of an ancient tale.

"Surprised? We do have these clothes but weather conditions don't really allow us to wear 'em often," Khan explained and pocketed his hands. "Besides, I prefer the other ones."

"Jirachi says: Super weird!" Jirachi flew past them and pointed up to the pink and blue sky. "Look! The trio are going home!"

The group looked up and White waved as the legendary genie pokemon were seen, looking down on them kindly while ascending into a light-filled portal.

"Bye! I hope we meet again!" White called.

"Thanks for everything!" Nella shouted and waved, exposing her bare arms. Bare arms.

"Hey!" Mana pointed out as the trio disappeared. "Where's your henna, Nella?"

Nella laughed and flashed a grin. "The Kami Trio said there was no need to continue this awful habit of sacrificing and stuff so they promptly stripped me of my healing power and used it to restore Arjrabal, along with their own power of course."

Her friends gawked in surprise before replacing their expressions with that of joy.

"That means your lifespan won't be cut short anymore!" White squealed, hugging Nella. "You're normal now."

"I was always normal," the redhead replied with a sweatdrop and stroked White's hair. "So…it's time."

"Already? Aw man," the trainer bemoaned but brightened up and extended a hand. "You're right! Thanks for the supplies and stuff…and for also giving us a place to stay."

Nella took the hand and shook it heartily, lingering a little before letting go and turning to Scarlet. "Thank you Scarlet for lending us your strength as well as your smarts. Also, thanks for the advice on my little perfection-complex. I now know that wishful thinking like that gets people nowhere fast."

"All in a day's work, Nellie," he replied and scratched his chin. "I have to say…your fighting skills are top-notch. You'd make a good leader and protector."

"Hey! What about me?" Khan butted in, furrowing his brows. "I'm the bad-ass with the double blades remember?"

"Hmph. What a kid," Scarlet scoffed and sighed. "Hurry up and confess your love to Nella already."

Khan's eyes widened and he grit his teeth as his face reddened. "You…little…BRAT!"

As Khan chased him round the bike, White turned to Mana and extended a hand. "You're a great guy, Mana and I hope you'll continue to make your country happy…in the legal way."

Laughing, Mana took the hand and was promptly surprised by his own boost in self-confidence. Days ago, he could barely talk without stuttering unless he had his mask on yet here he was now, standing at his princess' side and openly laughing with friends. Precious friends.

_Hey Mannie, you're crying,_ Claydol hummed and the boy gasped before withdrawing to wipe his eyes.

"I'm sorry!" he sobbed. "I just-"

"It's fine. I cried not too long ago," White replied, showing the tear tracks on her cheeks. "And you're not the only person who's sad."

Claydol hissed and turned away, trying to hide its own tear tracks but failing since it had eyes all around its head. _Don't look at me like that! I'll miss them too._

Jirachi followed suit and wailed loudly to everyone's surprise. They had only met for one day and it was already bawling? Wow.

"Jirachi's gonna miss you guys!" it whimpered, flying into White's arms. "Jirachi loves you guys for helping it out!"

"We love you too, Jirachi," White replied, going bleary-eyed again. "But you've gotta play your part in the universe."

"Don't worry," Khan stated, coming up from behind White. "You'll meet better friends when next you get back. Hell, you'd have even forgotten all about us by then."

"No! Jirachi won't forget! Never ever ever!" it declared and smiled. "I'll never forget this adventure."

The moment was sad and Scarlet inwardly admitted to feeling a tiny pang in his heart.

"We're always with you," he spoke up, surprising everyone at the fact that he was actually reassuring somebody. "And you'll always be with us." The hunter thumped his chest and grinned. "So long as we've got these beating hearts of ours, we'll never be alone. Cos we're soul friends. Our souls are wound nice and tight like the tightest of shoelaces."

Jirachi stared before grinning broadly and hopping onto Scarlet's head. "Jirachi says: Thanks Scarly! It was cheesy but at the same time, very original! Jirachi'll always remember those words and will keep you in my heart forever and ever!"

Sweatdropping, Scarlet lifted the Wish Pokémon off and held out a fist to Nella.

"Remember those words and let them be your consolation at the fact that we'll meet again. If not here, then in the next life. I'm sure all your answers to life will be found there."

Nella nodded and bumped fists with him. Mana, Khan and White did the same and the five teens raised their hands to the air before giving a final whoop.

"Let's go, White! Two more towns to go and then Twist Mountain awaits!" Scarlet stated, breaking off from the group and hopping unto his light cycle.

"Bye!" White called, jumping behind Scarlet as he revved his bike. "I'll miss you! Keep wishing and maybe we'll find this place again. I'm itching to see how big it would've grown!"

"I'll keep wishing and praying!" Nella cried, feeling the tears finally spill. "And I'll be strong for my country! We'll expand and show the world that we exist!"

"I'll keep fighting for Arjrabal's sake!" Khan yelled as the bike revved. "And I'll help everyone unite fully! Just you watch, White! I won't be a coward anymore!"

With a roar, the shot forward and White looked back to see Mana smiling and holding up his pinkie.

"I'll never forget you," he mouthed. "Pinkie promise."

White smirked and held up her own pinkie. "I won't forget you guys! Pinkie Promise!"

(Begin credits).

_Jirachi zoomed along with them and looked up before gasping._

_"Look! Look!" it cried ecstatically. "The Vibrava have come to take me back!"_

_Puzzled, Scarlet, White and Jolteon looked up and their eyes suddenly widened._

_A gorgeous aurora borealis spread across the sky and several dragonfly pokémon danced across the lights, joining hands and circling the sky. Nella saw this and held her breath as the Vibrava let out their mesmerising songs and began to glow. Suddenly, Bu twitched and she noticed the longing in his big, red eyes. Yeah…he too had wanted to participate and had always watched eagerly for this day._

_"Bu," she stated and patted his neck. "Go."_

_Bu looked to her before letting out a tearful moan._

_"You'll be much happier. But promise to come back from time to time, okay?" Nella asked, giving a teary smile. "I want to hear about all your adventures."_

_The Mystic Pokémon needed no third push and he gave her an eskimo kiss before taking off towards its evolving brethren. At the same time, Jirachi suddenly became cloaked in light and it felt itself being lifted away from Scarlet, White and Jolteon._

_"It's time for Jirachi to go," it stated and gave a peace-sign. "Jirachi'll tell your descendants about you guys if fate allows it!"_

_Scarlet blinked. "Descendants? HEY! Are you implying-"_

_"The Vibrava are evolving!" White butted in, standing on her foot hold and looming over Scarlet to get a better view despite the fact that the cycle was still moving._

_The Vibrava circled Jirachi's glowing form and increased the tune of their melodious chirps before starting to glow in resonance. The aurora also transformed into a spiral of light that tore through the clouds and pierced the heavens. Through the light, the teens could see Jirachi enclosing itself in its steel shell while the Vibrava took on new shapes and increased in size. With a joint cry, they dispelled their evolutionary light, revealing the very pokemon known as the Desert Spirits in all their glory. And Bu was now one of them. Together, they fired off brilliant, multi-coloured Dragon Breaths that decorated the pink skies and cast another magnificent aurora curtain that dazzled the observers greatly and reminded them of all the joys, sorrows and determination that brought them here. As the lights gradually dimmed, Jirachi's steel shell ascended with its train of Flygon following close behind. The scene was inspiring, just like the picture in the scroll and five people were caught in a brief moment of philosophy._

_"The Stairway to Heaven is very narrow and nearly impossible to attain," Scarlet remarked, viewing the brilliant morning star that appeared where the pokémon had disappeared through._

_"Some say perfection is what is needed to attain it," Nella murmured to herself as her friends turned and headed back into their homeland._

_"But now we know that determination and the strength of our individual wills count far more than some imaginary goal when needed to pass it," Khan whispered and cast a smile to the sky._

_"Nobody is perfect. Not even pokemon. But if our resolve is true and in the right direction, then something far greater awaits. All we need to do is keep our hearts set on chasing it without straying from the wrong path," Mana said and looked back at the tiny silhouettes of the people who had helped him realise it._

_White looked back and noticed that Arjrabal had disappeared from view now. She knew that it was pure fate that made them chance upon such a utopia and she doubted they'd meet again…at least in this life. But she'd never forget them and all the trials they'd gone through together. Raising a hand to the sky, she imagined herself touching the morning star and was finally struck with that brief philosophical wave that made her and everyone else realise a very important truth._

"_Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase it hard enough…we can catch the dazzling excellence." The trainer grasped the star and let the wind whip past her face as the mysterious trio made their dramatic exit, eager to face whatever knew challenges awaited them._

**FIN.**

**Thanks for reading and take a lesson from it if possible.**

**_A SIMPLE POKéMON MOVIE: STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN. 2012. _**


End file.
